Chase Elliott Replacement Officially Named for Atlanta

Elliott will not return behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet at his home track after making his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Instead JR Motorsports has officially announced that Rajah Caruth will drive the car for Saturday night's race at EchoPark Speedway.

The move was anticipated as part of the team’s planned driver rotation, but it officially closes the book on Elliott’s lone O’Reilly Series appearance of the season before his planned return later this season.

Rajah Caruth back to the No. 88 Chevrolet

Elliott finished second at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday another solid performance for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet.

Elliott's one-off appearance complete Caruth takes his seat for Saturday night's event at EchoPark Speedway where he opened the season with an eighth place finish in February.

Caruth has driven this season for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet and Jordan Anderson Racing in the No. 32 Chevrolet. He has four top-10 finishes in nine starts in the No. 88 to help keep the team second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series owner standings heading into Atlanta weekend.

Caruth is currently 14th in the driver standings just outside the playoff cut line but he is working to get himself into playoff contention ahead of the regular season finale later this summer.

Elliott's O'Reilly itinerary is not complete

Elliott is not racing this weekend but his 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is not complete.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion is scheduled to make one more start in the No. 88 Chevrolet later this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway giving him two scheduled starts for JR Motorsports this year.

Elliott’s return to Chicagoland for the O’Reilly Series marked his first start for JR Motorsports since 2021. The veteran reminded fans why he's one of NASCAR's premier road and oval racers with a runner-up finish in his comeback.

Now the No. 88 program returns to Caruth as JR Motorsports continues its chase for both the owner championship and a playoff spot as it heads into the final stretch of the regular season.