Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks broke his silence on the announcement of team driver Connor Zilisch leaving the organization at the end of the 2027 season. The news broke on Monday that Zilisch is set to take over the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2028 for the retiring Alex Bowman.
Marks had a vision for Zilisch in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. With an eye on the future, Marks expected the 20-year-old to be with the team for the long haul.
As it turned out, opportunity knocked for Zilisch as he announced his intentions to drive for HMS in 2028.
Marks on Zilisch’s exit: ‘It’s a bittersweet moment’
In a statement on Monday, Marks expressed the different emotions of seeing his rookie driver make a move to leave Trackhouse Racing after 2027. Although Marks had major plans for Zilisch’s future, he expressed enthusiasm for the North Carolina native’s opportunity at HMS.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for Trackhouse, but I am truly happy for Connor to get an opportunity that many drivers only dream of. While our goal was always to have him in our cars for the long term, I’m still excited for the opportunity we have with him now and in 2027,” Marks said.
Looking ahead to 2028, Marks looks forward to the future of the No. 88 team and filling Zilisch’s void with the next up-and-coming NASCAR Cup Series driver. However, that is the future, and Marks still anticipates what’s to come with Zilisch through 2027.
“At Trackhouse, our mandate remains to work hard, accomplish big things with Connor while we have him, and position this 88 Chevy team to move into the 2028 NASCAR Cup season ready for a new, inspiring, and talented driver that will author the next chapter in this amazing book we are writing. But not yet,” Marks said.
Last month, it was announced that Alex Bowman will retire from NASCAR competition from the 2027 season. Bowman has been the driver of the No. 48 since the 2021 season and has competed full-time for HMS since 2018.
Bowman has won eight career Cup Series races, all with HMS. Six of those eight victories were behind the wheel of the No. 48 car.
Zilisch’s rookie Cup Series season plagued by DNFs
Ahead of the 2026 Cup Series campaign, Zilisch signed a multi-year agreement to field the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Coming off a 10-win season in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, there was a lot of buzz around Zilisch in his first season.
Unfortunately for the rookie, it has not panned out like he would have hoped. Zilisch sits 34th in the points standings after 24 races, which is second-to-last among full-time active drivers. His eight DNFs in 2026 is a series-high.
Strong results have been few and far between for Zilisch. He has recorded only one top-10 finish in 2026, which was a seventh-place result at Sonoma Raceway in June. Zilisch’s best finish aside from Sonoma was an 11th-place run at Iowa Speedway two races ago.
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing’s third full-time driver, is 18th in the points standings with only two races remaining until The Chase. Chastain, a former Cup championship runner-up, has accumulated five top 10s and one top five.
With Zilisch’s future with HMS set in stone, it will be interesting to see if the youngster can turn his fortunes around with Trackhouse Racing through 2027.