Carson Kvapil is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet this weekend in San Diego, with Connor Zilisch not entered for the race on Naval Base Coronado. It is another change in a season that has turned Kvapil’s schedule into a moving target.
The switch matters because Kvapil has already swapped teams six times this year, and this weekend will mark his 13th car change in 18 races. He has not driven the same car for more than three races in a row, and he has not run the same car in back-to-back races since April.
Zilisch has been the one in the No. 1 Chevrolet seven times so far this season, and Kvapil has also taken that car when Zilisch was away. When the No. 1 Chevrolet and the No. 9 Chevrolet were both spoken for, Kvapil kept racing in the No. 91 Chevrolet for DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports. JR Motorsports has also occasionally added the No. 9 Chevrolet for Kvapil when the No. 1 car was occupied.
The part that does not fit neatly is that Zilisch is expected to return for additional races later in the season, even after driving to a ninth-place finish at Pocono Raceway this past weekend and winning earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International. He has already moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with Trackhouse Racing, but this weekend is out, while the No. 1 Chevrolet goes back to Kvapil.
For Kvapil, that makes the San Diego race less a reset than another turn in a season built on constant reshuffling. The next change is already lined up: Zilisch is in position to take over for the following two races at Sonoma Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway.
