Trackhouse Racing NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen made his first start of the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season this past weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), and to nobody's surprise, he found victory lane.
Van Gisbergen's appearance behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports marked the part-time car's first appearance of the year, and he led 31 of 65 laps around the 17-turn, 2.4-mile (3.862-kilometer) Austin, Texas road course after starting from the front row.
However, the No. 9 car is not on the entry list for this Saturday night's GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway.
JR Motorsports not running five cars at Phoenix
Carson Kvapil, who is sharing the No. 1 Chevrolet with Connor Zilisch this year but is still set to run all 33 races on the 2026 schedule, is also set to make select starts in the No. 9 car this year, but the first will not come this weekend. He has also landed a part-time deal with DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, and he drove the No. 91 Chevrolet for the first time this year at COTA when Zilisch drove the No. 1 car.
Kvapil is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet after Zilisch ran it at COTA, joining full-time drivers Justin Allgaier (No. 7 Chevrolet) and Sammy Smith (No. 8 Chevrolet) in JR Motorsports' driver lineup.
Additionally, after opening up the season with three consecutive starts behind the wheel of the team's full-time No. 88 Chevrolet, Rajah Caruth is set to run the next three races behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing. This week's driver of the No. 88 car is set to be full-time Hendrick Motorsports Cup driver William Byron.
The four Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers are set to combine for 10 regular season starts in the No. 88 car this year, while Caruth is set to run those 10 races in the No. 32 car to preserve his status as a full-time driver and championship contender, similar to Kvapil. Caruth is set to drive the No. 88 car in all other races.
As for the No. 9 Chevrolet, Lee Pulliam and Ross Chastain are the only other two drivers who have been confirmed for 2026. Pulliam is set to make his series debut at Martinsville Speedway in late March, while Chastain's schedule hasn't yet been formally announced.
The GOVX 200 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Phoenix Raceway starting at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 7. Take advantage of FuboTV's free trial offer now if you have not already done so!