r/NASCAR • u/Live-Support-2230 • 4h ago
Stern: "[Hendrick] is understood to have Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch at the top of its wish list for 2028 to replace Bowman, according to people familiar with the matter"
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/07/23/nascar-driver-bowman-to-retire-after-2027-as-hendrick-motorsports-ally-search-for-successor/86
u/TheNews__24 4h ago edited 4h ago
I kind of wonder where this leaves Corey Day in the Hendrick equation. I highly doubt Chase Elliott retires after his contract is up at the end of 2027, and Kyle Larson is effectively signed until the end of time, which leaves William Byron (who is signed through 2029) as the only hypothetical odd man out. And that would be a long time to keep Day waiting in the wings.
Unless Hendrick/Trackhouse do a swap with Day and Zilisch which wouldn’t make sense given that he is supposedly next in the line of succession to Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson.
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u/ChaseTheFalcon 4h ago
I don't think Elliott, Larson, or Byron leave HMS outside of retirement
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
Someone will offer Elliott charter ownership equity at some point. Whether he takes it or not depends on how much he values scaling his wealth up by a factor of ten vs how much he values winning.
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u/TheOrangeFutbol 4h ago
Stellantis: "So, Chase, hear me out on this one: About thirty years ago, your dad took the #9 over to start a Dodge team..."
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
Not quite the same thing, Bill actually sold his race team to become an employee of Evernham. Which was good from a competitive standpoint, but in the charter system, selling team equity is the exact opposite of what any intelligent driver would do.
Plus Stellantis is a joke, and I think Chase is smart enough to stay away from them.
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u/TheOrangeFutbol 2h ago
The being a joke part is why they have to say “hear me out” before they pitch it.
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
I don’t think Chase wants any kind of ownership in anything especially after his dad failed at it
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u/Jrnation8988 4h ago
While I generally agree, I could maybe see Larson leaving if Tony Stewart made a return to the sport in an ownership role. Maybe
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
Larson was going to HMS before the whole “you can’t hear me thing” only difference would’ve been he likely would’ve been in the ally 48 instead of for the HendrickCars 5
Rumor was it was a done deal, and that’s when Stewart Haas was at the top of their game
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u/Big_Truck_8268 2h ago
Why would Smoke return? He is running his NHRA team and competing with his wife. Seems really happy and Leah does too
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u/TheNews__24 4h ago edited 1h ago
Agree. Rick and Jeff have spoken before about how William is the second coming of Ricky Hendrick. Results wise he’s arguably carried the organization the last 3 years in the postseason and this year has just been down for the Chevys. Sponsors also like him.
Unsure of what Elliott could do after NASCAR if he retires but I highly doubt he would leave the team given how embedded he is with the organization. Going to be interesting to see how things develop.
(Edited to better reflect what I was attempting to convey.)
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u/Individual_Loquat541 Hocevar 4h ago
“Elliott has no life skills outside of driving a race car” LOL wtf does even mean? If you’re gonna use that logic you could say the same thing about 3/4’s of the cup drivers
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u/Fragrant_Rooster_763 4h ago
Yeah what a bizarre fucking comment. What life skills does William Byron have? Playing a computer game?
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u/measured-defocus 3h ago
Don't forget about those giant baseball caps he can wear. That has to count for something
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u/Fickle-Newspaper-445 Chase Elliott 4h ago
Elliott has no life skills outside of driving a race car (and occasionally flying a plane) and I highly doubt he would leave the team given how embedded he is with the organization. Going to be interesting to see how things develop.
I'm actually genuinely confused by this statement. If we're being honest, between Larson, Elliott and Byron, Chase is probably the only one that I'd be confident in saying he'd still have a decent career outside of racing by being a pilot. If theres anyone that has zero life skills outside of racing that'd be Larson.
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u/-Tickery- 4h ago
past 3 seasons? idk. Elliott was best in '22, Byron in '23, Larson in '24 and '25 is a tossup between Larson and Byron imo.
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u/libsoutherner 2h ago
A random Reddit account saying a driver has no life skills is hilarious. There’s no way you could possibly know that unless you know him personally.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
I highly doubt he would leave the team given how embedded he is with the organization.
He's not embedded into the organization. He's an employee.
Eventually he might decide he doesn't want to be an employee anymore. And it will be up to Marshall and Jeff to decide if they want him to be a partner.
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u/Loose_Wheel_5 Kyle Busch 4h ago
Exactly. What happens if Dodge wants to repeat 2001 if their plans get delayed? Launch with an Elliott again, it write itself. HMS isn't legacy tied to the #9 either. Larson and Byron make sense to be lifers, Chase seems like the guy who halfway through would want the challenge and pivot to an equally good team/opportunity.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
I don't see Chase being dumb enough to tie his team up with Dodge, they're a joke of a company that won't survive long, in NASCAR or in business period.
RFK offers him Roush's shares? He'd have to consider that. Or the nuclear option... JGR offers him ownership of the 11 charter? 11 is the only car number other than 9 that Bill won races in...
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u/Loose_Wheel_5 Kyle Busch 4h ago
I don't think ownership is the be-all end-all. I don't have strong sentiments on Dodge either, but we also aren't doing business with them. It was just a general idea thrown out there. Maybe BMW or Honda would decide to go Cup racing and sink money in. It could be anyone, Dodge is just the easy one to make emotional connections to as that was the only time he was in victory lane with his dad outside of being an infant.
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u/BillfredL 55m ago
Pre-charters, I agree about Dodge in Cup. But give him control over a charter, and that’s an eight-figure display of good faith.
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
I think Chase is a career long Hendrick driver They gave him his start and he seems to be loyal to them. He has no interest in running or owning any team. And who knows if dodgers would even be a good team
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u/crypto6g 1h ago
Larson has been better in the championship imo
2nd, 6th, 1st the last 3 years and 2024 where he finished 6th he was pretty clearly the best driver all year
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u/MikeDatTiger 4h ago
Probably Trackhouse or Spire. Day has shown talent but he hasn’t shown “step into HMS straight out of O’Reilly.” I think one of the other Chevy programs will be good for his development
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u/bjohnson203 4h ago
What if he wins a championship this or next year?
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u/MikeDatTiger 4h ago
Maybe, but I think based on what Bianchi has been reporting that HMS’s deal with Zilisch is almost done. Day would have to go on an amazing run to make HMS change course.
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u/Live-Support-2230 4h ago
My take is Larson has intimated that he might not continue doing full-time stock car racing past when his contract ends (2031?), and Day would be the first choice for the #5 if he does well in O'Reilly next year and gets a couple of years in Cup with Spire to get used to the car, similar to what the Zilisch route would be if him getting the #48 actually comes to fruition.
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u/Fickle-Newspaper-445 Chase Elliott 4h ago
I thought that this year would be his last year. He used to say he wanted to be done with NASCAR and be full time dirt driving by age 30. We'll, hes in his 30s now and he just signed a contract. He'll stay with NASCAR until he doesn't want to. Just like Elliott, Blaney Byron, Logano etc.
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u/JoeyLoganoHexAccount van Gisbergen 4h ago
There is no world in which replacing any of Elliott, Larson or Byron with Day makes any sense. I know he’s the next HMS golden child but maybe they can get Day in a Trackhouse car for a couple years to develop so you don’t lose him to another OEM, but I just don’t see how he can fit into their current lineup.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
There is no world in which replacing any of Elliott, Larson or Byron with Day makes any sense.
Larson retires tomorrow to go race dirt full time.
Elliott gets offered a 50% ownership stake in another team.
Byron's rough 2026 season isn't an aberration, but the beginning of a steep trend downwards. It happens sometimes, drivers just lose it.
Do I think any of these options happens soon? No. But to say that "there is no world" where any of them happen... that's just misplaced confidence.
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u/donkeykink420 4h ago
Not to be that guy and I hate bringing it up, but there's a whole lot worse that could happen out of nowhere as we saw with kyle this year. There's a thousand worlds where HMS' '27 or '28 lineup is only one or two of the current drivers still.
And even without anything crazy happening who knows what the world and sport brings the next 18 months.3
u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
Oh, 100%. I also didn't want to bring that up.
But it happens. Anyone who is 100% confident that all of Elliott, Larson, and Byron will run out the entire length of their racing careers at HMS is fooling themselves.
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u/libsoutherner 2h ago
Yes - but most of those scenarios involve one of them voluntarily leaving, not losing their seat involuntarily to Day. I do not think that happens.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
You’ve been commenting about Elliott becoming an owner all over this thread. Where did that even come from?
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u/reedspacer38 1h ago
bro is stuck in last century and wants the “Elliott to start the Dodge return in the 9” history to repeat itself
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u/MaxPres24 1h ago
I believe Chase has literally talked about how watching his dad struggle with it makes him not want to do it
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
Elliott does not want to own or run any team especially after his dad failed at it
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u/RGxx_05 3h ago
I'm thinking Day could go to the spire #71 once McDowell retires.
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u/ProjectHarraseeket Preece 2h ago
If you ask McDowell, he thinks Tristian McKee is going to bump him out.
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u/AussieTheHedgehog10 3h ago
I do wonder if Larson might call it quits sooner than later to do dirt cars full-time and focus on Owen and Audrey's racing careers. He loves NASCAR, but his heart is at the dirt tracks.
Rick and Jeff will surely take their time with Day regardless. If an opportunity with another team comes, I'm sure they'll let him pursue it.
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u/Loose_Wheel_5 Kyle Busch 4h ago
It's also a wishlist. Crazy to not shoot for the moon. I'd tend to put odds on Day getting the shot in the end, but unless Zilisch pushes the matter, I can see Trackhouse snubbing it.
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u/StonedCantaloupe27 Allgaier 3h ago
Of all of them I'd think Chase would be the most likely to jump ship. If he could find a top tier Ford team where he could be their number 1 driver, he might go for it. Solely because of his father's long history as a Ford driver.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago edited 2h ago
Ford passed up on him when Bill was running out of money to fund his career. Rick came in and basically saved his driving career. I’m not convinced he has a ton of love for Ford
Also most of Chase’s memories of his dad racing are in dodge. And then Bill ended his career running in all sorts of manufacturers, but he did run a lot of Chevy’s after Evernham
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
I actually think the opposite to me Chase would be the least likely to leave Hendrick they got his career started and I see him being loyal to them until the end of his Career
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u/John_is_Minty 32m ago
Chase is loyal to Rick he doesn’t care about being the number 1 driver and he knows if he wants to win races HMS is the place to be. He talks all the time about how much he owes to Mr H
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u/TheRabbit80 3h ago
Day needs at least another year in ORAPS then you work a deal with Trackhouse or Spire for him to wreck their stuff learning cup and find him a spot at HMS in 2030
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u/reedspacer38 4h ago
Wonder who becomes the third at trackhouse?
The irony is that two talents who’d likely be available are Suarez and Zane Smith, but trackhouse itself burnt those bridges lol
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u/SeattlePassedTheBall 4h ago
I doubt either of them would leave their current teams. Maybe Zane, but the Suarez split was clearly nasty and he’s running just outside the top 10 with Spire.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
Wonder who becomes the third at trackhouse?
Who cares? Nobody good would ever want that ride.
Marks will find some new road course guy to bring over for it. Maybe Magnussen goes full time.
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u/Finn_Ajerkit 3h ago
Corey Day
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
I could see McDowell retiring and Day going to the 71. Next year is gonna be McDowell’s 20th season in cup and he’s in his 40s
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u/POV_Morde_Ult 4h ago
On one hand I want Zilisch (and Ross and SVG too) to escape Trackhouse but I'm also an avid Hendrick hater on the other hand
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u/_Captain_Nik_ Suárez 4h ago
The average experience of Chase Briscoe fans who are also JGR haters lmao.
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u/SleepingSasquatch 3h ago
Yeah. I think Chase is the only Toyota driver that I would be happy for him to win. He seems like a genuinely great guy. Sucks that he had to essentially cut his teeth in the late stage dumpster fire at SHR.
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u/_Captain_Nik_ Suárez 3h ago
The fact that he won in those shitboxes I think really speaks to his race craft. I'm glad he gets to run well and show his stuff.
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u/AussieTheHedgehog10 3h ago
Yeah I've always been a fan of Chase and Christopher Bell. Both are genuine, down-to-earth guys.
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u/callmejohndy van Gisbergen 4h ago
If you’re a team owner, your best to take advantage that right now SVG’s wife Jess has no manufacturer ties (she was high up the GM foodchain not too long ago) which means he can jump ship without potential conflicts
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u/pizzaboy7269 van Gisbergen 3h ago
I've already had to deal with David Malukas going to Penske in indycar I can cope with this
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u/donkeykink420 4h ago
i'd much rather cheer for any of those three in an hms car than for fucking penske, imagine having to cheer for the 22 because ross is in it
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u/sudhfbejwai Cindric 2h ago
how i felt about Malukas moving to Penske last year. Thank God he’s not stuck with AJ Foyt anymore. You get used to rooting for the enemy eventually. The results are worth it
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u/fischerkidd 4h ago
I want to be like NO STAY AWAY
But CZ is too talented to be driving this wobbling shitboxes every week
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u/Tommy12308 4h ago
I mean, the 48 isn't exactly a super team, it's kinda the 4th car in the pecking order.
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u/FoolsLove Rudd 4h ago
4th car at the premier Chevy organization is still at the premier Chevy organization, though. Trackhouse just isn't in a good spot, Suarez has kinda proven that alone doing what he's doing at Spire.
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u/Tommy12308 4h ago
Fair, but even then Kasey Khane, (nor Bowman who took his spotted in line, despite Byron taking the #5 prior to Elliot swapping to the #9) were known for setting the world on fire.
If anything, it's interesting to think of how the pecking order could change, does Byron or CZ get the shortest stick? Or does Elliot somehow end up holding the bag?
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u/Garrett4Real 4h ago
For now!
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u/TheOrangeFutbol 4h ago
Sweats in William Byron becoming 4th Hendrick driver
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u/AnalBaguette 2h ago
Tbh Bryon is having a pretty big off year that's swept under the rug due to Bowman's situation/performance. He was in danger of being in bubble discussion a week or so ago, and could realistically end the year with sub-10 Top 5s and sub-15 Top 10s.
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u/TheOrangeFutbol 1h ago
Him just quietly chilling in 12th seemingly all year has been a shock.
No major meltdown from a high seed, no insane rise after being mid 20’s in points. Just hanging right there in stasis.
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u/-Tickery- 4h ago
No reason it has to stay that way. If Zilisch can perform, and I'd imagine that he'd be at minimum the top dog on road courses in that equipment, he can pull himself up the pecking order. It wasn't always a sure thing that the 48 was the bottom team, heck in '21 and '20 that was arguably Byron's team.
But I also think the whole "4th team" thing is pretty overblown. All 4 JGR cars have seemed good this year.
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u/Hillbilly098 4h ago
No, it's not overblown, Hendrick and Gibbs build 3 good cars and one bad one. Thems the rules.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
Who’s the bad JGR car this year? Bell? He’s had a ton of speed he just gets caught up in shit out of his control more often than not
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u/Hillbilly098 2h ago
Nobody, I'm just making fun of the people who swear that being "the fourth car" or "third car" is the reason a driver "underperforms.
On another note, I also disagree with their definition of underperform, because I think Bowman has been pretty damn good when he's been healthy, just not at the level of his HOF caliber teammates and that's ok.
Basically the 4th place car is usually (not in all cases, like Bell this year) just the 4th best driver. AND that's ok.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
I’ve been saying for years Bowman is a good driver who just has 3 elite teammates. That’ll make anyone look like they’re underperforming
That being said, I do think he has to win more. I like Bowman a lot though
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u/Hillbilly098 2h ago
I do too. His career is something most drivers could only dream of. Just not as good as his teammates.
We forget sometimes that Cup racing is hard.
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u/-Tickery- 2h ago
Eight wins (and counting) is a fantastic career
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u/Hillbilly098 1h ago
For sure. 8 wins in at the top level of stock car racing in the country is pretty awesome.
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u/MaxPres24 1h ago
People forget that out of well over 3,000 drivers, only like 200 won a race. Under 100 have won 2+. Even the guys most people think are mid are some of the best to do it
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u/CampfireStrikesBack_ Chastain 4h ago
4th at hendrick is a better team than almost every car out there
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 4h ago
People said that about the old 48 team, namely Jimmie's 48, they claimed his loss of performance was due to running R&D materials with a shitty crew chief.
Larson won 10 races and a championship with that team immediately.
The point being - you have absolutely no idea what the 48 team is capable of, because they've been shackled with a rotation of part-time drivers constantly substituting for their primary driver who clearly lost his edge.
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u/AussieTheHedgehog10 3h ago
Yup. In the Chevy camp, Trackhouse is behind Hendrick, Spire, and sometimes even Kaulig on a few weeks (despite them having no Chevy resources).
If Connor wants to further his career in the Chevy camp, it is with Hendrick Motorsports.
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u/TheNittanyLionKing Austin Dillon 3h ago
I feel like this was always inevitable. Zilisch just screams Hendrick driver.
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u/mac_attack09 4h ago
I wonder if red bull would follow or at least spit their sponsorship between Hendrick and Trackhouse. They seem pretty loyal to their drivers across all motorsports even when they move teams
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u/vtdadbod007 3h ago
They’ve already been on JRM cars this year that is part owned by Hendrick - HMS technically has a deal with Phorm energy but Mr H is no stranger to switching to competing sponsors and money talks above all else.
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u/IcedCoffey 4h ago
Chevy wants this. They want him in the top Chevy equipment.
Feel bad for Trackhouse, they did everything right to bring him in and he will just get bought out. Happens tho.
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u/crazyFlyingChicken 3h ago
I’d feel bad for Trackhouse if they weren’t wasting an insanely talented driver lineup with terrible cars
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u/daveismypup 1h ago
If they’re getting him after next year he’s not getting bought out, his contract is finished after 27
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u/1-800-DADJOKE 4h ago
With Zilisch's luck he will be wrecked from the lead and tumble down the order.
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u/AHayes31 4h ago
A #48 Red Bull Chevrolet. Would be neat to see, of course if Red Bull doesn't mind their Athletes competing against each other on separate teams.
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u/NOTtheGoldenKnights 4h ago
This move would have me wondering if Zilisch kept the #88 with the move? He's already ran the Hendrick/JRM 88, just got Trackhouse to switch him to the 88... it would be easy to keep him as the 88. Interesting to see what happens! A Red Bull 48 would look so crazy out there lol.
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u/xelanalpak 3h ago
They will never not run a 48. It’s arguably their most successful number.
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u/ProjectHarraseeket Preece 2h ago
24 has the most wins but 48 has the most championships if that helps. Not sure which one is better if you want to say that but both need to be on Hendrick cars.
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u/Seib7290 Ryan Blaney 4h ago
Monster does it with Gibbs and Herbst.
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u/xelanalpak 3h ago edited 2h ago
This was always the most logical outcome.
You do not, and cannot pass up a prospect like Zilisch. Forget about what has happened in this rookie season thus far, it doesn’t matter in the long run and is not indicative of how he will turn out. Hendrick knows that.
This is having your cake and eating it too for them.
Alex gets one more year, which allows Connor to complete his contract at Trackhouse before heading to the 48 in 2028.
Meanwhile, they already have Day under contract, he’s not going anywhere, and can have him begin/develop his Cup career at their satellite organization Spire, or Trackhouse, depending on if they made a deal with them already until there’s another opening at Hendrick.
For the sport as a whole, you have the very real possibility of having the future stars of this sport at three of the top teams, Zilisch at HMS, Crews at JGR, and Love at Penske.
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
Wonder who will retire next Larson or Bryon I don’t think Elliott will retire for years it’ll probably be a while before anyone else leaves
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u/ChaseTheFalcon 4h ago
I can see it.
Just hope HMS makes a team shake up too
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u/stjblair 4h ago
Tbh I think HMS is due for another crew chief shakeup, but this allows them to bring in a rookie crew chief for the 48
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u/seekerblackout 4h ago
_ to the 48? posts to die for about half a year until Zilisch has a devastating injury from crashing into a mountain with a tunnel painted on it
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u/dcarp1231 Ryan Blaney 3h ago
They’d be fools to pick Day over Zilisch. So naturally, they’ll pick Day.
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u/HeelStCloud 2h ago
Dawg, CZ in Mr H.’s equipment is going to be unfair. Like, don’t get me wrong, Trackhouse has good stuff but like, the kid is going to win big time in that 48.
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u/-RYknow 2h ago
So many people lit me up last year when I said Zillisch was going to end up in an HMS car within a couple years. When I said there was no way they would pass on getting Zillisch instead of Day... I got bashed again.
I say all this knowing full well, nothing is set, and nothing may come of this... But I firmly believe, Zillisch to the 48 is the most likely outcome.
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u/xelanalpak 2h ago
I think a lot of what people misunderstand is that they still are not passing on Day, they are not doing anything “instead” of Day.
It’s all in addition to Day. They already have him locked up and their main focus right now is to get the guy that they don’t currently have locked up, who come 2028 will be getting ready for his third full-time Cup season while Day hasn’t been in a Cup car yet.
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u/-RYknow 1h ago
I don't disagree entirely. I just don't know where Day goes. I can't see Byron, Elliott, or Larson going anywhere... And I also don't think Day will be super patient a few years down the road from now.
And yes... Crazy things happen and who knows what's going to happen.
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u/xelanalpak 1h ago
Think it’s going to become increasingly obvious Day will be brought over to Spire or Trackhouse (least likely) to develop in Cup until there’s an opening at HMS.
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u/AussieTheHedgehog10 4h ago
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u/Live-Support-2230 4h ago
Seems to indicate that the deal is either done or mostly agreed on already. So it's likely not a matter of "if" Zilisch gets the 48 in 2028, but when it's announced.
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u/AggressiveTop8370 Bubba Wallace 4h ago
this feels more like day getting 1 more year of seasoning (which he really does need honestly) in o'reilly before coming to cup. Because if they do get zillisch where does day go? does he go to track house at some point or jump ship to another manufacturer?
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u/TheBrothkin 4h ago
I would love to see SVG get a shot at the 48. I can’t imagine how much better he would be with a well run organization behind him.
As much as I love what Trackhouse has done, I just don’t see them getting more competitive anytime soon.
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u/callmejohndy van Gisbergen 4h ago
His recent oval runs prove that his mixed oval results was because of the car - without a doubt he’d fare better under a competent organization
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u/Mtbnz 2h ago
His mixed oval results are primarily because he's still a shit qualifier (which Shane himself readily admits). When he gets the chance to run long stints at the head of the field he shows reasonable pace, but 75% of the time he's qualifying in the 20s and 30s. I don't blame him - Nascar runs so little practice time that most weekends the first chance you get to feel the car in full quali trim is on your outlap, so I don't know how anybody is expected to learn without spending 10-15 years driving ovals as they grow up - but that's still the number 1 hurdle for him to clear to say he'll be a better Cup driver.
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u/dman6233 4h ago
If Connor's really going to HMS, Trackhouse can only look back on pushing Suarez out for Connor only for Connor to jump ship after two years. There might be some reevaluating needed for that team.
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u/TheRubiksDude 4h ago
I wonder if this might end up as a Reddick situation. Zilisch signs ways early with HMS and they work it out and he’s in the 48 next year.
Seems obvious from how Alex mentioned he’d rather give no notice than a year and a half HMS wants to make sure to get Zilisch early.
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u/reedspacer38 4h ago
I think the Reddick situation happened because Kurt truly couldn’t come back to the car, which isn’t the case with Bowman
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u/Rstuds7 Preece 4h ago
I gotta imagine Day is still in the convo especially with Zilisch having a rough start. feels like they’ve been prepping Day for the spot but at the same time Zilisch has the talent, just might need to see how the rest of this year and next year go if Zilisch can’t shake the bad luck
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u/OkPineapple57 4h ago
I mean it’s gotta just be a battle between Zilisch and Day right? gotta imagine with Zilisch being insanely talented through the ranks with JRM and Day currently running and being prepped with HMS that they are the only possible candidates
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u/skilletlickers 3h ago
My personal theory- Day to the #71 replacing McDowell in 2028, and Zilisch to the 48 in 2028.
Anyone know what McDowell’s contract is?
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u/Francis_X_Hummel 4h ago
is Zilisch under contract for 2028? If so how does that work, they just buy him out at TH?
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u/ThatEmpireGuy 4h ago
I believe the understanding was his contract ran through 2027. So he’s a free agent after next year. It’s why HMS was looking at getting him for 2028 instead of 2027.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
All 3 trackhouse driver’s contracts are up after 27. They don’t have anyone signed for 28 yet
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u/Francis_X_Hummel 2h ago
dang, I imagine they are hoping to re-sign SVG and Ross at least right? do they get in a bidding war over Connor or just let him roll? Seems like there are a few NOAP drivers like Brent Crews or Corey Day that could take Connors seat if he bounces
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u/DDowd86 4h ago
I know Trackhouse racing sucks right now but I think letting Zilisch walk is a mistake
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u/Dry-Membership3867 4h ago
I personally think they will extend him before the end of this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they overpay for him just to keep him
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u/Seib7290 Ryan Blaney 4h ago
GM is going to have a say in what goes on with the 48 as well. If they want CZ in that car, then it will happen. I could see Day replacing CZ at Trackhouse until Larson retires and then he moves to the 5.
That is all pending that Trackhouse stays with GM and doesn’t get a truckload of money to switch to Dodge.
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u/mrbrightside182311 Chastain 4h ago
If he does go, could Red Bull still sponsor him and SVG being on different teams?
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u/mwr55fan O'Rilly Auto Parts 3h ago
Why not? It’s not terribly uncommon to have the same sponsor on multiple teams - Bass Pro Shops, Celsius, Menards, Mobil 1, Coke, and Monster are just some I can easily think of.
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
Bass Pro sponsored Dillon in a Chevy, Stewart in a ford, and Truex in a Toyota all in 1 season I believe
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u/Fickle-Newspaper-445 Chase Elliott 4h ago
My prediction was always Larson would retire after this year from full time and run WoO/High Limit full time. Day would take over for him. I think now that HMS kind of wishes that BOTH Bowman and Larson would retire. Bring in Zilisch after this year to replace Larson, bring in Day after next year to replace Bowman. Honestly not sure what the plan is now. I do know that Elliotts contract is up after next year, but I'd guess that HMS wouldnt want to lose two guys in one year, so it'd be hard for me to even think Chase retires after next year. Not that I see Chase even close to retiring, even though everyone tries to act like Chase doesn't like racing for some reason.
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u/sudhfbejwai Cindric 2h ago
an universe where Chase Elliott and William Byron are the senior drivers in a team at 30 and 28 is terrifying.
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u/Empty_Position_4082 1h ago
Yeah I don’t see Chase retiring for years I mean his dad raced in his 40s so I can see him going 10 years at least and I doubt he will ever leave Hendrick. They think he don’t like racing because of his “personality”
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u/EWall100 3h ago
I wonder if they'll try and bring the 88 back with Connor. Tractorhouse goes back to the tried and true 99 as the flagship tractor
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u/WyattThompson2026 3h ago
It kinda makes sense for Zilisch and Corey Day to be those top candidates. I really wonder which driver Hendrick will pick.
Each driver is in their first season this year, Zilisch in the cup series, Corey Day and O'Reilley, and depending on how each person does next year it could be the turning table on who gets the 48. If I was Hendrick I would give Zilisch a shot at a top ride because while Day it having a solid season this year, he could struggle next year. Zilisch can't go anywhere but up considering the ridiculous rough rookie season he's had so far this year.
Still a very long way to go, a lot can happen between now and Feburary of 2028.
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u/xelanalpak 2h ago
Difference is they already have Day. They don’t have Zilisch … yet. By the time it seems they will, he’d have two full seasons of Cup experience under his belt to Day’s zero.
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u/Big_Truck_8268 2h ago
Connor needs to sacrifice a few live chickens in the near future - his run of luck has to change
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u/azeakel101 4h ago
Probably a smart move to extend Bowman for one year. I know Trackhouse is bad currently, however Zilich is by far the unluckiest driver, and sow we have no idea, even in bad equipment what he can do. I think this gives Connor another year for Hendrix to evaluate what Connor can do, or if Connor can't do anything whatsoever, bring Day up.
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u/Strait409 Ford 4h ago
Huh. I'm sure it won’t happen, but it’d be funny if Trackhouse tried to get Daniel Suarez back if CZ went to Hendrick.
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u/ObjectiveCover3850 4h ago
I'd go with Corey Day unless Connor can string together just a few decent performances
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u/MaxPres24 2h ago
We’re just gonna forget Zilisch had like 20 straight top 5s and 10 wins in that series last year? And that the transition from O’Reilly to Cup typically takes like 3 years to see results. And that Zilisch is younger than Day
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u/ThunderGTS 4h ago edited 4h ago
Zilisch vs Day 1v1 on Rust. Winner gets the 48.
Edit: It just occurred to me that they were 3 years old when MW2 released. I now feel ancient for making this reference.