Instead of replacing Connor Zilisch with a single full-time driver behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, after Zilisch moved up to the Cup Series full-time with Trackhouse Racing, JR Motorsports opted to give 10 races to the Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers.
Kyle Larson and William Byron were each given three, while Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott were each given two. Bowman's two ultimately ended up going to Larson.
Byron made his third and final start of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season at Pocono Raceway this past weekend, and he finished a season-high third. He previously finished 13th at Phoenix Raceway and sixth at Kansas Speedway.
William Byron replacement confirmed for San Diego
This weekend at Qualcomm Circuit, more commonly known as the Coronado Street Course, full-time Cup Series drivers are only eligible to compete in Sunday's 75-lap Cup Series race around the 19-turn, 3.4-mile (5.472-kilometer) temporary street course on Naval Base Coronado, as nobody has even run the San Diego, California circuit before.
As a result, Rajah Caruth, who is the primary driver of the No. 88 car this year, is set to be back with JR Motorsports this weekend.
Despite his JR Motorsports deal consisting of only 23 of the 33 races on this year's schedule, Caruth is still a full-time driver, as he's run the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing in the races that have seen one of the Hendrick Cup drivers in the No. 88 entry. He is 14th in the point standings, eight points below the postseason cutoff.
Andrew Patterson is set to replace Caruth in the No. 32 car this weekend for his fifth start of the season.
Caruth is set to be in the No. 88 Chevrolet in all but two of the remaining races on this year's schedule. Those two races are the July races at Chicagoland Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Elliott is set to drive the car in both of those events.
The No. 88 team is notably second in the owner standings, so if Caruth should manage to qualify for the playoffs, the fact that he is lined up to be in the No. 88 car for all nine playoff races should bode quite well for his chances at a strong postseason run. The No. 32 team, by comparison, is 17th.
The CW Network's live coverage of the United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, June 20. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from the first-ever NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Naval Base Coronado!
Add us as a preferred source on Google