Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott to Drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. In the 2026 O’reilly Series

All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team in the 2026 NASCAR season.

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott to Drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. In the 2026 O’reilly Series

Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott (Via imago)

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Rick Hendrick’s Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports shares a close bond. The 2026 season will mark expansion of the relationship, with all four of the HMS drivers set to drive the No:88 car in the O’reilly Auto Part’s Series. They have owner championship dream with the new joint venture.  

Rajah Caruth, who is contracted with HMS, will be the primary driver of the No:88 Chevy as is set to compete full-time in the second division. He will drive the JR Motorsports car for 16 regular season races and the seven playoffs’ races. Rest of his regular season appearances will be with Jordan Anderson Racing, with who he has a 10-race deal.

The first HMS driver to race for JRM in the 2026 season will be William Byron, who will drive for them at Phoenix Raceway. The Daytona 500 champion will also drive at Kansas and Pocono. His teammate and two times cup champion Kyle Larson is set to start O’reilly Series races at Las Vegas, Bristol and Texas.

2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will drive the No:88 Chevy at Chicagoland and Indianapolis. All of his appearances will come in the second half of the season, unlike his teammates. Alex Bowman will race in the Darlington and Nashville, as he is desperate to get back to winning ways in the 2026 season.

Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sister Kelley Earnhardt are excited about the 2026 venture

HMS owner and chairman Rick Hendrick shared his thoughts on the joint venture with JR Motorsports. He pointed out that having all four of their drivers in the second division alongside Caruth makes them strong and capable enough to win races.

Rick Hendrick and Rick France
Rick Hendrick and Rick France (Via autoweek.com)

We’re looking forward to our program with JR Motorsports, both on and off the track. Having our four Cup Series drivers join Rajah in the No. 88 provides HendrickCars.com a powerful platform with a championship organization. This team is capable of competing for race wins throughout the 2026 season, and we’re excited about what’s ahead.

Rick Hendrick via a statement.

JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt is excited about the change and having the HMS drivers on board. She sees this as an opportunity to expand their unique history together and give a proper fight for the owner’s championship.

We couldn’t be happier to welcome back all four of Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers into the JRM family to join Rajah (Caruth) behind the wheel of our No. 88 Chevrolet. Chase, William, Alex and Kyle all have such a unique history with us and it’s just a testament to the relationship that we have built with Mr. Hendrick…that we can bring them all together with Rajah to race for an owner’s championship in 2026.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller asserted.

The comments from the ownership duo seems rational and on point. The No:88 will be one of the teams to beat in the 2026 season and sharing seats with the HMS veteran will be a massive learning opportunity for young prodigy Rajah Caruth.

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