Rajah Caruth confirmed as Chase Elliott replacement for NASCAR O'Reilly series race at EchoPark Speedway

Chase Elliott put on a strong show last weekend, but the seat in the No. 88 Chevrolet now heads back to its regular driver for the next stop on the schedule. Rajah Caruth has been locked in as the man who will pilot the JR Motorsports entry this Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway for the Focused Health 250.

Chase Elliott delivers a strong runner-up run at Chicagoland

The first NASCAR event of any kind at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019 turned into a highlight for Cup Series star Chase Elliott. Making his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season, Elliott wheeled the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and came home second. It marked his first outing in an O'Reilly Series car for the team since 2021.

Elliott became the third different Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series driver to climb into the No. 88 this year. The arrangement came about after Connor Zilisch moved full-time to the Cup level with Trackhouse Racing. Rajah Caruth was tapped as the main replacement for 23 races, while the remaining 10 starts were split among the Hendrick Cup regulars.

Kyle Larson has already used his three scheduled races plus the two originally planned for Alex Bowman, giving him five total starts. William Byron completed his three. Elliott has one more O'Reilly Series race on his calendar later this month, but it is not this weekend at his home track of Atlanta.

Rajah Caruth returns to No. 88 for Atlanta

Rajah Caruth is set to climb back into the No. 88 Chevrolet for Saturday night's race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. He finished eighth at the same track back in February. With only four races left in the regular season, Caruth sits 14th in the driver standings, 48 points below the playoff cut line.

Caruth has been competing in the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing. Four of his six top-10 finishes this year have come while running for JR Motorsports. The No. 88 team currently ranks second in the owner standings, while the No. 32 sits 17th.

Caruth's only remaining race in the No. 32 this season is the late-July event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That is also the date Elliott is scheduled to make his second and final O'Reilly Series start of the year. After that, Caruth will drive the No. 88 for the entire nine-race postseason. He still faces a tough climb to lock in one of the 12 championship-eligible spots once the points reset after the regular-season finale at Daytona in late August. His best finish of the season so far is a solid fourth-place run at Rockingham Speedway.

How to Watch the Focused Health 250

Live coverage of the Focused Health 250 from EchoPark Speedway begins at 7:00 PM ET this Saturday, July 11, on the CW Network. Fans can also start a free trial of FuboTV to catch every lap from Atlanta.