The seat of the No. 48 Chevrolet won’t be empty for long.
Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday afternoon that it has signed Connor Zilisch to a multi-year deal beginning in 2028. Zilisch — who is in his rookie season in NASCAR’s Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing — will get behind the wheel of the car currently driven by Alex Bowman, who has announced he will retire after next season.
“Connor is a truly gifted young racer,” Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. “His talent behind the wheel is exceptional, but I’m even more impressed by the person he is. When someone with that kind of ability and character becomes available, you do everything you can to bring them into your organization. We have tremendous confidence in Connor, and we believe he’s the right driver to build on the legacy of the No. 48 Ally team for many years to come.”
The shift is a seismic one in NASCAR.
When Bowman made it clear the 2027 season would be his last, rumors swirled as to whom the powerhouse Hendrick — which has won three Cup Series championships this decade — would get to replace Bowman. The move also opens up the No. 88 seat for Trackhouse, a team that fields cars for road course ace Shane van Gisbergen and the popular Ross Chastain.
While the 20-year-old Zilisch is having a rough debut season in the Cup Series with eight DNFs and just one top-10 finish, he is still widely viewed as one of the best young drivers in the sport.
He began racing at the age of 5 and when he was 11, he moved to Europe to race go-karts. Rather than stick around abroad to pursue a career in Formula 1, Zilisch moved back to the United States and set his sights on NASCAR.
In 2024, Zilisch notched class victories in both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in his first attempts. Later that year, at the age of 18, he won in his debut in the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen. Zilisch also placed fourth in his Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas.
Last season he won nine races in the O’Reilly Series and captured the regular season championship while driving with JR Motorsports. Zilisch’s car also won a 10th race in the 2025 season at Daytona, but that race was finished by Parker Kligerman after Zilisch exited the car 13 laps into the race, still dealing with discomfort from a broken collarbone.
Zilisch has flashed that talent at times this season, finishing seventh at Sonoma and winning a pair of O’Reilly Series races at Bristol and Watkins Glen.
“This is one of those moments you dream about as a kid,” Zilisch said in a statement. “Hendrick Motorsports has always represented the standard in our sport, and being entrusted to help continue that legacy means everything to me. The chance to drive a Chevrolet for Mr. Hendrick, carry the colors of an incredible partner like Ally and compete alongside some of the best drivers and people in racing is what you work so hard for. I’m grateful for the confidence they’ve shown in me, and it’s my job to prove they made the right decision.”
While Zilisch has attracted lucrative sponsors at Trackhouse this season such as Red Bull and Weathertech, Hendrick’s news release makes it apparent that Ally Financial will continue to be the primary sponsor for the No. 48.
“We’ve spent nearly a decade investing in the No. 48’s storied legacy alongside Hendrick Motorsports, and handing the wheel to a driver of Connor’s caliber is such an incredible way to begin another historic chapter,” Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally, said in a statement. “Connor is an unbelievable talent with the motivation to match, and he understands what it means to represent a brand and a fanbase that care deeply about this car. I’m thrilled to welcome him to the Ally Racing family and cannot wait to do great things together on and off the track.”
Hendrick has long been one of the elite teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team won its first of a record 15 championships in 1995 with Jeff Gordon and collected more titles with Terry Labonte, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. The team has also fielded winning cars for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Tim Richmond, Darrell Waltrip, Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin.
Along with Bowman, Hendrick fields cars in the Cup Series for Elliott, Larson and William Byron — all three of which are positioned to make the postseason Chase this season.
For Trackhouse, owner Justin Marks called the news “bittersweet.”
“I am truly happy for Connor to get an opportunity that many drivers only dream of,” Marks said in a statement. “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. 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.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR rookie Connor Zilisch will join Hendrick Motorsports in 2028