2023 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Cole Custer returned to the series for the first time since 2024 this season when he competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing back in mid-March.
Custer, who competed in that race through a partnership with Haas Factory Team, the team for which he runs full-time in the Cup Series, has driven the No. 0 Chevrolet in four additional races since then.
After his 18th place finish at Las Vegas, he finished seventh at Kansas Speedway, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 12th at Pocono Raceway, and eighth again this past weekend in the series' first race at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019, when he was victorious at the track.
But Custer has no more O'Reilly Series starts scheduled for 2026.
Cole Custer replacement confirmed for Atlanta
Garrett Smithley has been the primary driver of the No. 0 Chevrolet this season, although for the first time in 2026, he competed for another team at Chicagoland; he drove the No. 42 Young's Motorsports Chevrolet and finished 18th.
But this weekend, the series veteran is set to be back in the No. 0 car for the first time since the race at Nashville Superspeedway in late May.
Smithley has made 10 starts in the No. 0 Chevrolet so far this season, and his top finish of 14th came back in February at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway), where the series is scheduled to race this weekend.
Beyond this weekend, Smithley is expected to be in the No. 0 car for all remaining races on this year's schedule, except for the October playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
However, he still might compete in that race. It was initially set to be run on the Roval, but it was shifted to the oval late in the offseason. Alex Labbe drove the car in all four non-oval races earlier this season and presumably would have run the Roval race as well, just as he did during all eight years it was run from 2018 to 2025.
The CW Network is set to provide live coverage of the Focused Health 250 from EchoPark Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, July 11. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series action from Atlanta!
