Hendrick Motorsports has hired a young phenom with a rousing reputation and the potential to rise to superstardom in the NASCAR Cup Series.
That sentence is just as true in 2026 as it was in 1992. Different name; similar story.
In 2026, it’s Connor Zilisch signing a contract to drive Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet beginning in the 2028 season. In 1992, it was Jeff Gordon signing a contract to drive Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet — a signing that would change NASCAR as we knew it.
MORE: Zilisch signs with Hendrick for 2028 season
This isn’t all to say Zilisch is destined to be the next Gordon; the four championships and 93 wins earned by Gordon create an impossible standard for anyone to live up to, let alone a 20-year-old like Zilisch who is only 24 races into his inaugural Cup Series campaign.
But there was something unmistakably poignant about Tuesday’s press conference at the NASCAR Production Facility, where team owner Rick Hendrick sat alongside Gordon — now the team’s vice chairman and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame — to introduce the highly touted Zilisch as the organization’s next driver, one they hope will be a superstar.
“It really all did come together the way it was meant to be,” Gordon said.
Alex Bowman, current driver of the team’s No. 48 car, signed a one-year contract extension to make the 2027 campaign his final season before retiring from full-time competition. Hendrick Motorsports wanted Bowman, a 10th-year full-timer for the company, to have the ability to walk away from the sport on his terms after years of myriad health issues that cost him time in the race car. Thankfully for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman’s timing lined up just right with the ability to pursue Zilisch, who is currently contracted to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing through 2027.
“When [Bowman] told us, ‘Hey, I want next year to be my final year,’ then that pretty much put the next thing in motion,” Gordon said. “And it was around that same time that we had heard that Connor was going to be out talking to teams about ‘28 and and beyond. And as Rick mentioned, when that happened, the first thing that we did was reach out to [Trackhouse owner] Justin Marks and talk to him about ‘28 to kind of get the blessing to be able to sit down with Connor and start talking about that. But yeah, the stars really pretty much aligned with Alex’s decision as well as with Connor’s decision to look beyond ‘27.”
Unlike Gordon, who never made a Cup start before signing with Hendrick Motorsports, Zilisch has already begun his Cup Series career. It hasn’t gone well and he’d be the first to tell you that, if the statistics didn’t do so by showing him 34th in points with two races remaining in the regular season.
But just like Gordon, Zilisch impressed Hendrick with success in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where Zilisch stormed to 10 wins in 2025 driving for the Hendrick-affiliated JR Motorsports.
“I can remember Rick saying to me, he was like, ‘Boy, that guy is so talented. I’d love to have him in a Hendrick car one day,’ ” Gordon recalled Tuesday. “And we knew that he had a contract at that time, so we weren’t really pursuing it until we found out, that ‘28 was an opportunity.”
With a smile to Gordon, Hendrick was quick to add: “It was just like Jeff Gordon when I saw you in Atlanta, and I said, ‘Man, it’s a shame he’s got a contract with Ford.’ And [Gordon’s] roommate said, ‘He doesn’t.’ He had a contract with me the next day.”
The opportunity to drive for NASCAR’s winningest organization is not lost on Zilisch, who was born the year Jimmie Johnson won the No. 48 team its first championship in 2006. Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus — now Hendrick’s vice president of competition — ultimately collected seven championships together, forever establishing a legacy behind the No. 48.
With a legacy comes the pressure to live up to high expectations — a standard that comes with driving for Hendrick Motorsports regardless of the number on your door. But pressure is a privilege, one Zilisch welcomes with open arms.
“I would more so call it an honor than pressure,” Zilisch said. “You know, I know what I’m getting myself into. I know that success is the standard, and I hold myself to a high standard. So I’m really excited about it honestly more than I am nervous or pressured. And being able to work with these two guys (Hendrick and Gordon) every day is something that I’m really excited for. Driving the 48 and being a part of that legacy and creating my own story is something I’m really excited for as well.”
Baked within that answer is the real reason Zilisch was such an obvious hire for Hendrick Motorsports. At 20 years old, the North Carolina native carries a maturity and poise that manifests a reputation for being wise beyond his years. To find those traits within someone as naturally talented as Zilisch is a chance too rare for Hendrick executives to have passed up on.
“It’s not just his talent; that’s pretty obvious. But it’s really making sure that there’s somebody that you know has great communication skills, wants to be a great team player,” Gordon said. “I mean, the way that Hendrick Motorsports works, I feel like, is unlike any other organization out there. And I get the pleasure to sit in on those debriefs with the drivers and the crew chiefs, engineers. And the more transparent you are, the more confident you are, the more information that you can add to the conversation, it elevates the entire organization.”
Kyle Larson, the defending and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, has already worked closely with Zilisch this season through their Chevrolet connections. Larson has been in the fold at Hendrick Motorsports for nearly six full seasons. And he knows Zilisch is a perfect match for Hendrick — and that Hendrick is a perfect match for Zilisch.
“I’ve got to work around him a little bit this year just through the key partnership at GM with Trackhouse and RCR and ourselves,” Larson said Tuesday. “So (I) get to kind of hear how he communicates and breaks down his car and all that and all pretty normal stuff. And yeah, I mean yes, he hasn’t had a great season this year, but I don’t really think that means anything. I think everything he’s proven to this point shows how talented and naturally gifted he is, and then seeing him work at it, too, being in the Wise Optimization Program as well as the GM key partnership, you get to see his work ethic, and I think it’s high, and I think he’s gonna blend in really well at Hendrick Motorsports.
“I think he has the personality that this organization kind of fits, and I’m looking forward to him being a teammate of ours. And like I said, he’s young, but I feel like he’s very mature for his age and he will fit in great at our place.”
Indeed, Zilisch’s rookie year has been a struggle, but the past two weeks have shown glimmers of optimism: At Iowa Speedway on Aug. 9, Zilisch earned an 11th-place finish after qualifying eighth, his career-best finish on an oval, before qualifying 11th at Richmond Raceway for the Aug. 15 contest. Those gains may seem small, but progress is progress after a slow start to his Cup career.
“We all knew how talented he was on the road courses,” Gordon said. “To me, I think a lot of it was, well, what can he do on ovals? And he proved and is continuing to prove that he’s good behind the wheel at any track that you put him out there on.”