Justin Marks responds to Hendrick Motorsports | Sports News

Trackhouse Racing proprietor Justin Marks insisted his crew isn’t involved about mounting rumors that Connor Zilisch might make a soar to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028.

Last week, Alex Bowman despatched shockwaves throughout the motorsports group after asserting his plans to retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitors following the 2027 season. It hasn’t taken long for followers and pundits alike to speculate on who might change the 33-year-old’s, with Zilisch swiftly rising as a heavy favourite to fill his seat for the 2028 marketing campaign.

While making an look on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Marks acknowledged that Zilisch — who’s below contract with Trackhouse Racing by the tip of the 2027 season — may have no scarcity of suitors when he hits the open market. Meanwhile, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 attendance was introduced after empty stands prompted alarm.

“He’s probably coveted for everybody,” Marks stated of Zilisch. “I mean, he’s a very talented driver. He’s a very smart young man. He’s got a big career in front of him.”

For the time being, nevertheless, Marks pressured that he wasn’t involved about Zilisch’s long-term future within the Cup Series, however moderately his current efficiency this season. Over 21 races, the defacto 2026 Rookie of the Year has amassed only one top-10 end and 7 DNFs.

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“I think for us, we are committed to Connor,” Marks stated. “Connor’s committed to us through the end of 2027. And 2028, although it’ll be here quickly, is a little too far away I think for us to really be spending a lot of bandwidth on that at the moment. Because what we’re trying to solve for right now is get him the experience, get him comfortable.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Red Bull and a lot of our other partners on the Chevrolet that he drives. And it’s important for us to be executing on the agreement and the relationship and partnership that we have now. 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.”

Marks expressed confidence that subsequent season would bear higher outcomes for Zilisch, including: “I think 2027 can be a really big year for him and for us. You know, he’s got a whole year under his belt and he can go to all these races for the second time or third, fourth time, and really know what he’s up against.

“That’s really where our mind is at right now. I think when it comes time to talk about the future, we’ll have that conversation with him, knowing that he’s a highly sought after driver. I think that those conversations around him probably want to start sooner rather than later.”

With Trackhouse Racing anticipated to face no scarcity of competitors for Zilisch’s abilities, Marks acknowledged that shedding him in 2028 is definitely a risk. “It’s our job to present ourselves as a place that he wants to be,” he concluded.

“And if that happens and he’s at Trackhouse for a while into the future, great. If something different happens, then that’s the way it goes. I mean, we’ll all go on and try to be the best that we can be. But right now, I just want to try to get him up the order and hopefully get him in victory lane while he’s contracted with us now.”