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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – AUGUST 28: Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 28, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
NASCAR Silly Season has sparked fresh speculation about Connor Zilisch\u2019s<\/a> future after Denny Hamlin\u2019s comments raised questions about possible driver changes for 2027.<\/p>\n Rumors suggested that Zilisch could leave Trackhouse Racing<\/a> early to join Hendrick Motorsports, with Alex Bowman and Brad Keselowski potentially involved in the reported chain of moves.<\/p>\n However, Zilisch has now addressed the speculation directly. On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio<\/a> Friday, the 20-year-old confirmed his plans remain unchanged.<\/p>\n He will continue racing for Trackhouse in 2027 before moving to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028. His response followed several days of discussion about Keselowski\u2019s future and the possibility of early driver movements as NASCAR teams prepare their lineups for the next season.<\/p>\n NASCAR Silly Season Rumors Begin After Denny Hamlin\u2019s Comments<\/p>\n The latest NASCAR Silly Season rumors started after Hamlin discussed Keselowski\u2019s future on his Actions Detrimental podcast<\/a>. Keselowski recently said he wants to compete in \u201ctier one equipment,\u201d prompting Hamlin to consider possible destinations for the former NASCAR Cup Series champion.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say there\u2019s certainly more to it, and I think he\u2019s leaving enough Easter eggs that I have my own theory of where he\u2019s going, but I think it would be inappropriate for me to say.\u201d<\/p>\n He suggested Keselowski\u2019s options could involve Chevrolet teams that have struggled to deliver strong results.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not going to Hendrick. He\u2019s not going to Penske. He\u2019s not going to Gibbs. What does that leave? I believe that there could be some cards that get shuffled. People move early to other places.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlin also adjusted his odds of Keselowski securing a full-time Cup Series ride from +250 to +140. However, he made it clear that his comments reflected speculation rather than confirmed information.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not have an idea, and no one has told me sh*t, but that is what I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n NASCAR Silly Season Speculation Links Connor Zilisch to Alex Bowman<\/p>\n Hamlin\u2019s comments sparked more NASCAR Silly Season discussion on social media. One scenario suggested Bowman could leave Hendrick Motorsports before his expected departure, allowing Zilisch to take over the No. 48 Chevrolet in 2027 instead of 2028.<\/p>\n Under that scenario, Zilisch\u2019s departure would open a spot at Trackhouse Racing for Keselowski.<\/p>\n However, Zilisch dismissed the claims when SiriusXM NASCAR Radio hosts asked whether his status with Trackhouse had changed for 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of those rumors on social media and whatnot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, you know, my plans have stayed the same, and I\u2019m signed to race for Trackhouse next year. And then I\u2019ll be going to Hendrick in 2028. And I don\u2019t see that changing.\u201d<\/p>\n The rookie driver also made it clear he had no plans to leave Trackhouse early.<\/p>\n \u201cI always laugh at the rumors on social media, but I don\u2019t\u2014there\u2019s no validity to any of those. I\u2019m excited for next year with Trackhouse and making progress. But, yeah, I won\u2019t be leaving yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Connor Zilisch\u2019s Hendrick Motorsports Move Remains Set for 2028<\/p>\n Zilisch\u2019s comments match the previously announced plans for his NASCAR Cup Series career. In August, Hendrick Motorsports announced a multi-year agreement with the young driver, who will take over the No. 48 Ally-sponsored Chevrolet in 2028.<\/p>\n Bowman is expected to complete his final full-time season with Hendrick in 2027 before Zilisch takes his place.<\/p>\n Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has also confirmed the team\u2019s commitment to Zilisch through the end of the 2027 season.<\/p>\n Zilisch is currently competing in his rookie Cup Series season behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet. He and the Trackhouse team continue to improve their results as he gains experience at NASCAR\u2019s highest level.<\/p>\n His latest comments put an end to speculation about an early move to Hendrick Motorsports, at least for now. While Hamlin\u2019s remarks have raised questions about Keselowski\u2019s future, Zilisch confirmed his plans remain unchanged.<\/p>\n As the 2026 NASCAR season nears its end, attention will turn to confirmed driver announcements and teams finalizing their 2027 lineups.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a writer covering NASCAR, Formula 1, and the IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. He has also written for Sportsnaut, FanSided, Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. Wilberforce focuses on the NASCAR Cup Series, breaking down news, driver stories, and key moments with a clear, fast, and engaging style. His work connects headlines to context, helping readers understand what matters most in the sport. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – AUGUST 28: Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, looks on during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":935573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-935572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/935573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}