It’s not been the dream rookie season Connor Zilisch would have hoped for. He came to the Cup Series on the back of an O’Reilly campaign that featured 10 wins, so the hype was justified. But the jump is not easy to adjust to, and Zilisch has failed to register even a top-10 finish. That’s why his strong showing at the All-Star Race, the biggest exhibition event on the calendar, was a huge positive.

“Much needed,” he remarked on social media right after a P5 finish in his first-ever All-Star Race. Yes, it will not go into the record books, and he will not get points for it. But it reflects a sense of positivity for both him and Trackhouse Racing, who have struggled for pace as a whole.

Trackhouse Racing heading in the right direction

The results will not reveal the full story, but Zilisch has been improving with every race. The 19-year-old has looked competitive in recent weeks, with an impressive Watkins Glen performance in the Cup Series and even contending for a podium at one point before a tire issue dropped him to P20. He won the O’Reilly race that same weekend and followed it up with a fifth-place finish at Dover last Sunday.

“That makes three weeks in a row where I feel like we’re going in the right direction,” he said. “Although it’s not a points race, I think everybody shows up to these races trying to win, and to be competitive and get as high as, you know, running with the Gibbs cars and running second there. That’s stuff we need.”

Zilisch and teammate Shane van Gisbergen sparked Trackhouse Racing’s comeback moment at Watkins Glen. Although SVG ended the weekend with a win, Zilisch also showed a strong pace on the road course. He managed to work his way back to the front of the field, but tire issues and a subsequent unplanned pit stop pushed him back down the order.

Looking at the Chase format, it is quite apparent that Zilisch no longer has a realistic chance of contending for the championship. So the next best thing for the No. 88 crew is to continue working on the car and steadily improve performances over the remainder of the season, which they appear to be doing.

“We’ve been working really hard, everyone at Trackhouse, to get that and make it to where even on the bad days, we’re still running decent,” he continued.

Trackhouse has the pieces to become a regular race-winning team, but it has struggled with execution. The results that van Gisbergen continues to deliver on road courses have provided a massive boost to the team’s overall position, and if Zilisch can maintain his current consistency, 2027 could become a much stronger season for the organization.

That said, there has also been some garage chatter suggesting that Trackhouse’s future may not include Zilisch next year. Of course, it is silly season, so rumors are everywhere. But you never know.

Zilisch eyeing partnership with Rick Hendrick?

For a driver who won on debut and then went on to win 10 races in his rookie NOAPS season, it is quite apparent that the weekly struggle to even bring the car into the top 20 has been rather disappointing.

While he has struggled to consistently put together strong finishes, fellow young driver Carson Hocevar has grabbed much of the spotlight this season, even winning at Talladega earlier this month.

Yet, there could be a major move that Zilisch pulls off before the 2027 season kicks off. According to recent reports, he is attracting interest from Rick Hendrick ahead of next season, and it does not come as a surprise.

HMS remains one of the strongest teams in the field, but its No. 48 team has struggled to match the level of the organization’s other cars in recent seasons. Alex Bowman has not consistently produced the same results as the No. 5 and No. 9 teams. As a result, Zilisch’s status as one of the sport’s top young stars has reportedly sparked interest from the owners, who could view him as a potential replacement.

Bowman had to miss out on several races this year because of health conditions, which has already put the #48 crew in a difficult spot. The Chase format requires strong consistency, and the team continues to struggle with it.

Although Bowman has had a few impressive finishes in recent races, including three top 10s in the past four races, he would have to keep this form up to continue with the team in the 2027 season. If not, then Rick Hendrick could finalize a potential deal with Zilisch.