Connor Zilisch Says He Wouldn’t Want to Leave Trackhouse ‘After a Season Like This’
· Yahoo Sports
Connor Zilisch says the talk of him joining Hendrick Motorsports a year early has been noise “for the most part.”
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
Zilisch is set to drive for Trackhouse Racing again in 2027. He joins Hendrick in 2028 to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet.
Alex Bowman holds that seat through 2027. He will retire from full-time racing after next season.
On Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass asked Zilisch whether there had been any talks about an earlier move.
“Yeah, it’s been, for the most part, a lot of noise,” Zilisch said. “You know, Alex has a commitment to run one more year. I have sponsors to fulfill obligations for another season, and I’m excited about that.”
He added that “it’d be great to go race for Hendrick next year and get that opportunity quicker, but at the same time, I’m kind of happy in the spot I’m in.”
‘Less Eyeballs on Me’
Zilisch said staying put has its upside. He described his current situation as a lower-pressure place to learn.
“I get to learn in a lower-pressure situation with less eyeballs on me,” Zilisch said. “… So I feel like it’s good for me to be able to learn in this situation and get to race with Trackhouse for one more year and finish what we started.”
The 20-year-old is finishing his first full NASCAR Cup Series season in the No. 88 Chevrolet. It has been a difficult rookie year, and he wants to leave Trackhouse with better results.
“I mean, I would not want to leave Trackhouse after a season like this. I want to end on a good note. I want to be able to leave saying that we achieved all we could and gave it our best effort, which we have,” he said.
“But yeah, hopefully next year can go better, and we can take something away from it and have a good last season together,” he added.
No Worries About Losing His Job
Zilisch was also asked whether having his future settled takes pressure off. He said it helps, but he still expects a lot from himself every weekend.
“I’m not taking it easy because I know that I have a couple of years of racing in the Cup Series ahead of me,” Zilisch said. “I would say I still put as much pressure on myself, but it is nice knowing that I can have bad weeks and not have to worry about losing my job.”
It is not the first time Zilisch has addressed the rumors. Last month, he said his plans had not changed and that he was signed to race for Trackhouse in 2027.
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks addressed Zilisch’s departure after Hendrick announced the deal.
Zilisch has raced across motorsports, from karting to sports cars. In 2025 he won 10 races for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Zilisch closes his rookie season Sunday in the Cup finale at Homestead.