JR Motorsports Shuffles Top Prospect as Connor Zilisch Gets Opportunity

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Thomas Carelli | Last updated Feb 20, 2026 7:00 AM ET

JR Motorsports has a rising star in Carson Kvapil, who will race for them in 2026. He is widely regarded as a title contender, and according to betting odds, he ranks as the 7th-most-likely driver to win the O'Reilly Series in 2026 with odds of 14/1. While many expect Kvapil to be secure in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, the situation is not as straightforward as it seems.

Kvapil is slated to run the full 2026 race schedule to compete for that elusive championship title. However, he will do so while running only select races in the No. 1 car.

Per Jayski, Kvapil has six sponsors lined up for this No. 1 car. However, JR Motorsports would not fill every single race for Kvapil. This is given that the big star, Connor Zilisch, will bring a couple of sponsors with him as he takes on a portion of the races in a car mostly deemed Kvapil's.

Adding Carson to the lineup ‍‍‍ @JRMotorsports Driver, @CarsonKvapil will pilot the No. 91 at four @NASCAROReillyAP races filling out the remainder of his full time schedule. pic.twitter.com/IM80KzpGgh
— DGM Racing (@DGMRacingFL) February 18, 2026

Instead of running all 33 races in one singular car, Kvapil is popping around. He signed a deal on Thursday with DGM Racing to join its No. 91 Chevrolet for four races: Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen, Charlotte, and Sonoma. This is no surprise, as Zilisch finds it easy to fill the No. 1 car with his own sponsors for those three road courses, a layout where Zilisch is dominant. That explains why his sponsors trump anything that Kvapil can bring in and compete with.

Find a Sponsor, then Race the Racecar

Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series, the O'Reilly Series does not operate in a charter system. Vehicles are not locked into the field, although many will race all 33 races. In turn, sponsors must pay the way for drivers to take the green flag. That is a complication for Kvapil.

Aug 9, 2025; Watkins Glen, New York, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch (88) leads driver Shane Van Gisbergen (9) at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images© Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

JR Motorsports has Zilisch lined up to take four races in the No. 1 car. Likely, they are paying quite a bit of money for Zilisch as he will almost surely lineup against Shane Van Gisbergen in his three road-course races. In those matchups, it will most likely be a 1v1 battle, as the rest of the field will have little chance of winning. This is just how it has gone, and how it will likely go.

With Kvapil being unable to find a sponsor for all of his races, he must pivot to earn points with a new team. In the playoffs, points are awarded to the driver, not the car, so Kvapil should be fine. Nonetheless, the DGM Racing team may logically have an inferior car compared to Kvapil's usual No. 1.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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