Ross Chastain has taken full advantage of NASCAR's reduced restrictions on full-time Cup Series drivers with at least three years of experience competing in lower national series races so far this year, as the Trackhouse Racing Cup star has already competed in five races across the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
He made his fourth start of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season with his third different team, DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, at Martinsville Speedway this past weekend. As the team's fourth driver through the season's first seven races, he delivered the organization their top result of the year in eighth place.
However, the Cup Series has off this weekend, and while some full-time Cup drivers plan to run at least one national series race anyway, Chastain will not be competing in the O'Reilly Series race or the Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway.
Ross Chastain replacement confirmed for Rockingham race
Alex Labbe, who made his first start of the season for SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in early March and finished 13th, made his first start behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet for DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports at Darlington Raceway two weekends ago.
After a DNF at Darlington, he is set to be back in the No. 91 car this weekend as Chastain's replacement.
Labbe did not compete at the four-turn, 0.94-mile (1.315-kilometer) Rockingham, North Carolina oval a year ago, when the O'Reilly Series returned to the historic venue for the first time since 2004. His Darlington start was his first O'Reilly Series oval start since he ran the race at Pocono Raceway in 2023.
As for the Truck Series, set to take over for Chastain behind the wheel of the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet at Rockingham, after Chastain made his first Truck start of the year at Martinsville and placed second, is Landen Lewis.
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