Chase Elliott's return to JR Motorsports was short-lived as he will not compete in the upcoming Atlanta NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Instead, Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet on Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway.
What happened?
Elliott made his first NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing second. This marked his first O'Reilly Series start for JR Motorsports since 2021. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion reminded fans why he's one of NASCAR's premier road and oval racers with a strong performance.
Why it matters for Chase Elliott
Although Elliott won't compete this weekend, his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule for 2026 isn't over. He is expected to make one more start in the No. 88 Chevrolet later this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, giving him two scheduled appearances for JR Motorsports this year.
What comes next?
The No. 88 program shifts back to Caruth as JR Motorsports continues its pursuit of both the owner championship and a playoff berth heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Caruth has split time this season between JR Motorsports' No. 88 Chevrolet and the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing. Through nine starts in the No. 88, he has recorded four top-10 finishes, helping keep the team second in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series owner standings entering Atlanta weekend.
Caruth currently sits 14th in the driver standings, just outside the playoff cutoff. His focus remains on strengthening his postseason position before the regular-season finale later this summer. With Elliott's one-off appearance complete, Caruth returns to the seat for Saturday night's event at EchoPark Speedway, where he opened the season with an eighth-place finish in February.
The move was expected as part of the team's pre-planned driver rotation, but it officially closes the book on Elliott's lone O'Reilly Series appearance of the year before his scheduled return later this season.