Carson Kvapil, who made a surprise run to the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship 4 as a rookie in 2025, has already switched cars on six occasions through the first 11 races of the 2026 season.
Kvapil initially lost his full-time ride with JR Motorsports for the 2026 season, as it was confirmed that he would share the No. 1 Chevrolet he drove full-time in 2025 with Connor Zilisch.
Zilisch was the full-time driver of the team's No. 88 Chevrolet a year ago before graduating to the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing, but the No. 88 car is being shared by Rajah Caruth and Hendrick Motorsports' four Cup drivers this year.
But it was announced that JR Motorsports would put Kvapil in their fifth car, the part-time No. 9 Chevrolet, on select occasions, and when that wasn't possible, that he would compete for DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet, thereby retaining his status as a full-time driver.
Carson Kvapil replacement confirmed for Texas
This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Zilisch is set to make his fourth start of the O'Reilly Series season, three weeks after making his third and collecting a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, meaning that Kvapil is set to shift back to the No. 9 car, which he most recently drove to a fifth place finish in that same Bristol race.
Zilisch is also set to drive the No. 1 car at Watkins Glen International next weekend, and with Shane van Gisbergen expected to return to the No. 9 car after winning the race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in early March, Kvapil is set to make his second appearance of the year in the No. 91 entry.
Despite having jumped around from team to team and car to car all season, Kvapil remains solidly in the playoff picture. He is seventh in the point standings, thanks to his four top five finishes, and finds himself 77 points above the cut line. He is still in search of his first career O'Reilly Series win.
As for Zilisch, he did not actually get to compete at Texas a year ago in the O'Reilly Series, after suffering a back injury in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway one week prior. But when he returned at Charlotte Motor Speedway the following race, he began an 18-race streak of top five finishes, a streak which included nine victories.
Perhaps this week at Texas can serve as somewhat of a spark for Zilisch as well, as he continues to struggle mightily in his rookie Cup Series season.
Tune in to the CW Network at 3:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 2 for the live broadcast of the Andy's Frozen Custard 340 from Texas Motor Speedway. Start a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action!
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