Hendrick Motorsports on Monday named Connor Zilisch as the new driver of its No. 48 Chevrolet starting in 2028, as the winningest team in NASCAR history pries the prodigy away from Trackhouse Racing. The move comes despite the change not being slated to begin for almost 18 months, and HMS says that is because Zilisch signed the contract Monday morning. His deal with Trackhouse expires after the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, which will be his second full-time campaign in the sport.
Industry sources had said for months that HMS was pursuing Zilisch and even explored the potential of getting him into the No. 48 for 2027. In the end, HMS extended with the current driver of the No. 48, Alex Bowman, for one more season before he retires from full-time NASCAR competition. Ally Financial will continue to be the primary sponsor of the No. 48 with Zilisch, according to a press release from the team, and 2028 will mark its 10th season with HMS. Zilisch is 20 years old.
The loss would appear to be a big one for Trackhouse, which has become one of the most talked about teams in NASCAR since 2021 but has also had some challenging results in recent seasons, despite having several wins during that span through Shane Van Gisbergen’s dominance on road courses. Trackhouse, which also competes in MotoGP, currently has three charters in NASCAR. Some industry sources in recent months have mentioned Trackhouse as a team that could be open to listening to offers for charters. But a person familiar with the team’s thinking denied that it is interested in downsizing, and team owner Justin Marks released a statement Monday suggesting the team is it in it for the long haul.