Trackhouse Racing is a team that has been under fire due to its concerning performance, despite flashes of brilliance from Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. With the latter being linked to a potential exit in 2028, owner Justin Marks has dropped his take. 

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Marks said that Trackhouse's focus is on helping Zilisch develop into a serious Cup title contender, and he also believes that 2027 can be a massive year for the team. After all, Zilisch would have matured into his role by then. 

“I think that it's on Trackhouse to continue to work really, really hard to try to give him good race cars. It's on him to continue to do the work to be prepared and to show up and be the best race car driver that he can be. I think 2027 can be a really big year for him and for us," Marks said.

In the same interaction, the Trackhouse owner also noted that every team would likely be interested in signing the 20-year-old, because of his talent and long-term potential. However, he emphasized that both sides remain committed to their current agreement through the end of 2027.

Zilisch’s future with Trackhouse has been under speculation, with many reports linking him to a potential move to Hendrick Motorsports, which is said to be ‘going hard’ after the driver. 

Even if Marks knows that nothing is guaranteed in NASCAR, it is up to Trackhouse to prove it can give Zilisch the best cars, opportunities, and environment so that he chooses to remain with the team when contract talks begin.

But given Hendrick Motorsports’ current condition, would Zilisch really want to move? 

Has Hendrick Motorsports finally fallen

The 2026 season hasn’t been a memorable one for HMS, which might be seeing this as a drastic fall after its triumph in 2025. The team has now gone three consecutive Cup Series races without recording a single top-10 finish. 

In a tweet on X, NASCAR journalist Taylor Kitchen highlighted that in the last three races, William Byron’s P12 finish at North Wilkesboro has stood out as the team’s best performance. 

HMS entered the 2026 season as one of the championship favorites. Kyle Larson and William Byron have regularly been among the series' fastest drivers in recent years, but have been marred by inconsistent performances this season. 

Chase Elliott has also consistently been a playoff contender, while Alex Bowman is in the final years of his driving career with the organization.

The recent results have also been reflected in the championship standings. Among Chevrolet drivers, it is Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar who currently ranks the highest, occupying fifth place in the standings, ahead of every Hendrick driver. 

But despite this, HMS remains one of the most successful NASCAR teams with more than 320 Cup wins and a record 15 Cup Series championships.

Zilisch will be available to join Hendrick Motorsports following Bowman’s retirement at the end of the 2027 NASCAR season.

Given Bowman’s farewell at the end of 2027, do you think Zilisch would be a perfect swap? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar