Trackhouse Racing has decided to make a small tweak to its personnel lineups heading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway.
According to NASCAR’s Roster Portal, Connor Zilisch (driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro) and Shane Van Gisbergen (driver of the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro) will be swapping spotters, beginning this weekend at the 2.66-mile superspeedway – one of the most spotter-dependent racetracks on the circuit.
After spending the last two seasons as the “eyes in the sky” for Shane Van Gisbergen, which resulted in seven NASCAR Cup Series victories together, veteran spotter Josh Williams is being shifted over to the No. 88 to be reunited with Connor Zilisch.
Last year, in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, the Williams-Zilisch pairing was extremely successful, winning 10 races and qualifying for the Championship 4 – finishing second in final point standings to Jesse Love.
For the final three events of 2026 at Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead, Shane Van Gisbergen and the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro will be partnered with third-year spotter and part-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver Stefan Parsons.
Heading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, Van Gisbergen continues to hold the title of “Best of The Rest” when it comes to drivers that failed to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Chase. The Auckland, New Zealand-native currently sits 46 points ahead of 18th-place Brad Keselowski.
As for Zilisch, it’s been a tough rookie season, with the driver of the No. 88 currently sitting 33rd in NASCAR Cup Series point standings, the third-lowest full-time driver ahead of only Ty Dillon and Cody Ware. Zilisch is confirmed to drive the No. 88 in 2027, but will move on to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028, replacing the retiring Alex Bowman.
The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will take place Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 PM ET on NBC.
Photo: Rory Malloy
