Kyle Larson will take over Alex Bowman’s planned start in JR Motorsports’ No. 88 for Saturday’s NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, giving the team a last-minute change for the weekend. Bowman is still listed for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, even as he prepares to miss his second planned O'Reilly Auto Parts Series start.
The move puts Larson back in a car he has already handled well this season. He has two NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series starts this year and won in two of his three planned appearances, while finishing fourth when he substituted for Bowman at Darlington Raceway.
The reason for Bowman’s absence at Nashville was not listed, but the switch fits a season in which JR Motorsports has split the No. 88 among five drivers. The four Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series drivers and Rajah Caruth have all logged time in the car during the 2026 campaign, and Bowman had been set for two races as part of the arrangement.
Bowman’s absence carries added weight because he is 33rd in points and sits 156 points outside the current cutoff spot for the 2026 Chase for the Cup. He missed his first planned start at Darlington after a vertigo diagnosis, and now loses the Nashville drive as well, leaving Saturday’s entry with Larson while Bowman remains on the Sunday Cup Series list. That is the key detail for this weekend: the No. 88 changes hands again, but Bowman is still expected to be part of NASCAR’s top series race the next day.
