JR Motorsports No. 88 is set to feature a mashed roster throughout the 2026 season, including Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers and anchor driver Rajah Caruth.
Throughout the 2025 off-season, NASCAR fans have heard that, despite his plans to run a full season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Rajah Caruth would not drive JR Motorsports’ No. 88 full-time in 2026.
While Caruth has already announced plans to fill the rest of the season’s 33 races with Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 32, JRM’s plans for the No. 88 were still relatively unknown until Tuesday Morning, when JRM finally cleared the air on these plans.
Caruth, as previously reported, will drive the Hendrickcars.com No. 88 in 23 races, and the No. 32 in ten races, with Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers set to drive the No. 88 in those ten races.
HMS drivers have moonlighted with JRM in the past, though, in recent years, they have raced in HMS’s in-house No. 17. That car is now full-time with prospect Corey Day, leaving these drivers with no other option for seat time.
The HMS Cup Series roster for the No. 88 includes two races for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, three races apiece for Kyle Larson and William Byron, and is as follows:
The most important detail of this schedule is the timing, as, per NASCAR rules, Caruth, who is declared for the NASCAR OAP Series, will have to drive the car for the entirety of the playoffs.
While this fills out the roster for the No. 88, it is far from the only car at JRM with a rotating door in 2026, as the team’s No. 1 is to be shared between drivers Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil, and the No. 9 will feature a rotation of drivers, including those from Trackhouse Racing’s Cup Series team.
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
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