NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season: Which Drivers Have Signed New Contracts for 2027?
What’s Happening? NASCAR Silly Season is in full swing, with drivers on contract seasons already signing and re-signing with teams for…
The upcoming NASCAR Silly Season is finally shaping up to be as wild as expected, as new reports are linking 2026 Trackhouse Racing NASCAR Cup Series Rookie Connor Zilisch to a potential spot at Hendrick Motorsports.
Entering 2026, the NASCAR Cup Series garage area was quiet, as one driver, Daniel Suarez, moved teams, while Justin Haley moved back down to the Truck Series.
While last year’s Silly Season had little to no jaw-dropping moments, insiders promised fans that the 2027 Silly Season would bring the chaos that everyone knows and loves from NASCAR’s hot stove season.
Early reports claimed that 20+ drivers were facing contract years, with fans focusing on the moves of known free agents like Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch.
But one name making the rounds is a surprise, as Connor Zilisch, the only Rookie driver in the Cup Series garage, has been tabbed as a potential mover.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Silly Season is in full swing, with drivers on contract seasons already signing and re-signing with teams for…
Zilisch signed a multi-year developmental deal with Trackhouse Racing in early 2024. This deal took him to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last season, where he won 10 races with JR Motorsports and earned a Cup promotion.
Despite most expecting him to be a long-term option for the team, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reports that per his sources, Hendrick Motorsports and Zilisch are “believed to have interest in the other.”
As shocking as this may be, these rumors were backed up by Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, who listed Zilisch as a possibility to drive Alex Bowman’s No. 48 next season, adding that this is “if there is enough money elsewhere.”
Neither says that Zilisch will be with the team by 2027, though; they didn’t rule it out entirely.
Zilisch signed a “multi-year agreement” in 2025 to drive the No. 88 for Trackhouse. While the exact length of Zilisch’s deal at Trackhouse is unknown, things can always change.
In late 2022, then Richard Childress Racing driver Tyler Reddick announced his plans to move to 23XI Racing in 2024 with one year left on his contract. Of course, this deal did not go as planned, and the two parted ways early, allowing Reddick to move to the No. 45 for 2023.
While an early signing like this is always an option, another idea that may come to mind is a buyout, and as Pockrass suggested, money is important in that matter.
But, in his report, Bianchi notes that negotiations for such a buyout make it likely that HMS could wait until next season to pursue Zilisch, saying in a video on the Dirty Mo Media YouTube Channel that the 19-year-old is “probably available for 2028.”
What’s Happening? NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information…
There was a time when Trackhouse was going blow-for-blow with HMS, but as the years of the NASCAR Next Gen have dragged on, that has dropped off.
Zilisch is off to a cold start with the team this season. But most expected the dramatic change from the OAP Series car to the Cup Series car to be a challenge for the young phenom, no matter how good he is.
So far, Zilisch is 32nd in total points and averages just 12 points a race, less than names like Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst.
Still, the blame may not fall on Zilisch, as Trackhouse has struggled early on all around this season, with team owner Justin Marks making waves after Bristol by saying they were in a “rebuilding phase.”
While HMS has had a few of these over the years (we’re looking at you, 2018), and is admittedly not off to its hottest start ever, the team is still the benchmark in the Chevrolet camp, something that would stand out to any driver.
What’s Happening? Following another trying weekend for Trackhouse Racing, team owner Justin Marks says his team is working through a “rebuilding…
No one knows what the future holds for Alex Bowman. Earlier this week, rumors spread that HMS’ NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Corey Day could make the jump to the Cup Series to replace Bowman in 2027.
Still, the future of the No. 48 is the central focus of any talks between Zilisch and HMS, as the team has Kyle Larson signed through 2031 and William Byron signed through 2029.
This leaves Chase Elliott, who is signed through 2027, as the next domino to fall (given that Bowman does not return for 2027). Given his popularity and status, even if Elliott were to see a dramatic falloff in his racing abilities, it seems wild to think he would ever leave the team.
The decision then comes down between Zilisch and Day. While both have shown skills, many compare the hype surrounding Zilisch to that of Jeff Gordon or Kyle Larson, the latter of which HMS picked up from Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 after years of rumored interest.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Silly Season is finally heating up, as NASCAR fans are now discussing a recent podcast episode that mentioned…
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