When JR Motorsports confirmed that Rajah Caruth would replace Connor Zilisch, who now competes for Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, it was noted that his deal did not include all 33 races.
Caruth's deal with the team was a 23-race deal, so to retain his status as a championship-eligible, full-time driver, he landed a 10-race deal with Jordan Anderson Racing to drive the No. 32 Chevrolet. For the No. 88 car, those 10 races were split up between Hendrick Motorsports' Cup drivers.
Race number nine of those 10 took place this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, where Chase Elliott, in his first O'Reilly Series start of the year, placed second behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet.
Caruth placed 24th in his ninth race behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet. But Elliott's second and final start of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season is not scheduled to take place until later this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so Caruth is set to move back to the No. 88 car this weekend at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway).
Rajah Caruth replacement confirmed for Atlanta
With Caruth set to change cars for the 10th time this season, team owner Jordan Anderson is set to replace him behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet in Saturday night's 163-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval.
Anderson, who most recently competed at Atlanta back in February 2024, has made just one O'Reilly Series start this season, that coming in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He finished that race in fourth, tying the career-high result that he set at the same track two years prior.
Beyond this weekend, Anderson has just one more start lined up for the 2026 season, as he is set to return to Daytona for the regular season finale in late August.
As for Caruth, he finds himself 14th in the point standings, 48 points below the playoff cut line, with four races remaining on the regular season schedule. He is set to be in the No. 88 Chevrolet, which is second in the owner standings, for three of those four races, with the lone exception being the Indy race. The No. 32 team is 17th in owner points.
The Focused Health 250 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from EchoPark Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, July 11. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from Atlanta!
