Regan Smith will drive the No. 43 Ford this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Richard Petty Motorsports announced the change on Wednesday night after the organization’s primary driver, Aric Almirola, suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra. Almirola was injured in a wreck with Joey Logano and Danica Patrick at Kansas Speedway last weekend.

After being released from the hospital last Sunday, Almirola was said to be mobile and headed back to Charlotte for further evaluation. He will provide an update on his injury and recovery plan on Friday morning at the speedway.

Smith, who will drive Almirola’s car in the Open race in the hope of making into the All-Star event, is the 2008 Cup Series Rookie of the Year with 211 starts. Last year, he ran the full season with Tommy Baldwin Racing. Across all three NASCAR national series, Smith has 443 starts and seven career wins.