CONCORD, N.C. — Full-time Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron won the last two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The good news for series regulars is that neither Elliott nor Byron will compete in Saturday’s Charbroil 300.
But there’s bad news, too. Trackhouse Racing Cup drivers Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch will be driving for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s race.
Chastain is the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race. Zilisch finished second to Byron in last year’s O’Reilly Series event at Charlotte.
Driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for JRM, Zilisch has won twice in five O’Reilly starts this season, at Bristol and Watkins Glen.
“I’m really looking forward to the Charlotte race with JR Motorsports,” Zilisch said. “We’ve won a couple of races this season, and I think we have a great opportunity to run well this weekend in our Registix Chevrolet.
“Starting late in the afternoon will be a challenge, but I’m confident that (crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and I will keep up with the balance of the car with the changing track conditions.”
Not only will Zilisch have to battle Chastain, but he’ll also face JRM teammate Justin Allgaier, the last series regular to win at Charlotte (2023).
Allgaier holds the series lead by 175 points over Sheldon Creed, the largest advantage a driver has enjoyed at any point during a season since NASCAR instituted one-point-per-position scoring in 2011.
Collectively, JR Motorsports drivers look to extend the organization’s streak of placing at least one car in the top 10 to 72 races. RFK Racing holds the record for consecutive top-10s with 79 (2008-2010).
Just because Elliott and Byron aren’t racing, Hendrick Motorsports isn’t without a shot to win. Corey Day, who has scored two victories in his rookie season—the latest at Dover last Saturday—will drive the No. 17 Hendrick entry.
Day, who is racing on Charlotte’s 1-5-mile oval for the first time, is the first Hendrick driver since Kyle Busch in 2007 with multiple O’Reilly Series wins in the same season.
