If Connor Zilisch leaves Trackhouse, could Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen follow?

Connor Zilisch was seen as the future of Trackhouse Racing, but it looks like he may end up becoming the future of Hendrick Motorsports instead. 

The 20-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie is the top contender to take over what will be a vacant HMS No. 48 in 2028 after Alex Bowman retires, and comments from Trackhouse owner Justin Marks earlier this week made it sound like getting a long-term deal done with Zilisch isn't a top priority, at least at the moment. 

"2028, although it'll be here quickly, is a little too far away I think for us to be spending a lot of bandwidth on that at the moment," Marks said.

While it would be negligent for Trackhouse to let Zilisch walk without even trying to retain him, Zilisch going to Hendrick makes sense. The talented young driver wants to win, and Trackhouse is leagues behind Hendrick in regard to speed at the moment. Hendrick would also likely be able to compensate Zilisch far more handsomely than Trackhouse. 

So in a worst-case scenario for Trackhouse where Zilisch does leave after the 2027 season, what does their future look like?

Could Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen leave Trackhouse Racing?

Marks' comments on 2028 being "far away" don't just relate to Zilisch. Trackhouse's other drivers, Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen, have contracts that expire after 2027. 

Trackhouse will want to keep both of those drivers around. Chastain has been with the team since 2022 and has won six races for the organization. Van Gisbergen is only in his second full-time season with Trackhouse but has won eight races for the team since bursting onto the NASCAR scene in 2023. 

Loyalty could very well be a huge factor in Chastain staying at Trackhouse. The watermelon farmer from Alva, Fla., has stuck it out at Trackhouse despite varying performance from the organization. However, if things don't improve between now and the end of 2027, he could walk, and there would likely be a few teams willing to sign him. 

Van Gisbergen is arguably the best road course racer in NASCAR history and is improving on ovals as well. He's currently in position to make the Chase, and if he starts contending for wins on ovals, his stock will only continue to go up. Again, loyalty could play a factor in his decision to stick around or not, as Marks and Trackhouse brought him into NASCAR in the first place, but if he feels he can't win with the team, he could also walk. 

There is a possibility, however slim it may be, that all three Trackhouse drivers want out at the end of next season. Zilisch leaving by himself would be frustrating. Two of Trackhouse's drivers walking would be devastating; all three going to new teams would be catastrophic. 

Perhaps the best thing Marks and Trackhouse can do if they aren't willing to do everything in their power to keep Zilisch is to focus on retaining Chastain and van Gisbergen. Neither driver is a spring chicken — Chastain will be 34 at the end of the 2027 campaign and van Gisbergen will be 38 — but they both have roughly a decade of racing left in the tank and are good enough to build a team around. 

Assuming Zilisch leaves, Trackhouse would have a third car to fill, unless Marks decides to sell a charter for a huge sum of cash, which wouldn't be the worst thing for the organization. If Trackhouse does decide to go hunting for a third driver prior to 2028, however, it's worth wondering if Zilisch's departure will have young, promising prospects being wary of signing with an organization that doesn't have the ability to build a championship caliber team around them.