JR Motorsports have run a fifth car on occasion throughout the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, although they did not do so for the series' most recent race at Nashville Superspeedway two weekends ago.
In the No. 9 car's most recent appearance, it was full-time Trackhouse Racing Cup Series driver Ross Chastain who drove the entry to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway three weekends ago.
It came in Chastain's seventh start of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season and fourth in the No. 9 Chevrolet, which marked the entry's ninth appearance of the year. Chastain's win was his first in the series since he won at Daytona International Speedway for Kaulig Racing in July 2019.
The No. 9 car has won twice this year, with Trackhouse teammate Shane van Gisbergen winning at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) back in March.
Ross Chastain replacement confirmed for Pocono
After JR Motorsports stuck with only their four full-time entries for the Nashville race, the fifth is set to return this weekend at Pocono Raceway. However, Chastain will not be its driver, as his O'Reilly Series plans for the remainder of the 2026 season, aside from a fourth start with Jordan Anderson Racing later this month at Sonoma Raceway, have not yet been confirmed.
Carson Kvapil, who drove the team's full-time No. 1 Chevrolet at Nashville, is set to shift over to the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend, as Connor Zilisch, who is Trackhouse's third full-time Cup driver, is set to be behind the wheel of the No. 1 car for his seventh start of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season. Zilisch drove that car to victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International earlier this year.
Kvapil is a full-time driver across three different entries, including JR Motorsports' No. 1 and No. 9 cars. He has also run select races in the No. 91 DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet. He is seventh in the point standings, 106 points above the playoff cut line with eight races remaining on the regular season schedule, with eight top 10 finishes, including four inside the top five.
It's not the only driver change at JR Motorsports this weekend, as Hendrick Motorsports Cup driver William Byron is set to replace teammate Kyle Larson behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet, which is driven primary by Rajah Caruth.
Caruth is once again set to drive the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet as a part of the 10-race deal he landed to retain his status as a full-time championship contender, after it was announced that the Hendrick Cup drivers would be splitting time in the No. 88 car throughout the year. Zilisch drove that car full-time a year ago.
Saturday's MillerTech Battery 250 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Pocono Raceway starting at 4:00 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all of the action from the "Tricky Triangle"!
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