NASCAR free agency: What we’re hearing about Trackhouse, Connor Zilisch, Kaulig and more

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NASCAR’s Silly Season — that time of year when drivers and teams are looking to solidify their plans for the next year and speculation about potential moves ramps up — can often be quiet at the onset, giving the feel that no notable major free-agency moves will occur. And then, something out of nowhere drops, causing a ripple effect across the Cup Series landscape.

Quiet is how things presently stand for this year’s version of Silly Season — “very, very quiet,” according to one executive whose team is often in the middle of NASCAR’s free-agency period. “Crickets” is how another industry source described it.

This time, though, the expectation from sources throughout the industry is that Silly Season will remain relatively uneventful. That’s primarily because four of NASCAR’s biggest teams — Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing — essentially have their driver lineups locked in for 2026. Not much change is anticipated among many other teams either, for various reasons (drivers in the middle of contracts, sponsorship and performance).

Still, there are things to keep an eye on into the summer, when many deals are brokered and contracts signed. Let’s take a look at the drivers and teams to watch.

Trackhouse Racing

The big domino this Silly Season is Trackhouse. The Justin Marks-owned team has four drivers under contract and only three spots on its Cup roster — one of which is taken, with Ross Chastain still under contract for multiple years and delivering exceptional performance. Jockeying for the other rides are Daniel Suárez, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. The former two are currently teammates with Chastain in the Cup Series, while the latter is a promising rookie in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.

Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch have terms remaining on their respective contracts, with Suárez’s contract up at the end of the season. And, it may come down to just this factor — letting pending free agent Suárez, who sits 30th in points, walk to promote Zilisch.

Of course, it may not be this straightforward. Suárez is well-liked within Trackhouse, has sponsorship and is more proven on ovals than van Gisbergen, who, in just his first full Cup season, has struggled with this type of racing after years focusing exclusively on road courses. Trackhouse could decide that van Gisbergen, who is three spots behind Suárez in the points standings, has hit his ceiling as a NASCAR driver and opt to retain Suárez.

Daniel Suárez is a pending free agent, but he has sponsorship and has proven better on ovals than Trackhouse teammate Shane van Gisbergen. (David Jensen / Getty Images)

All of that is predicated on Trackhouse promoting Zilisch. And this is no sure thing. He’ll turn just 19 in July, and he’s in his first full season competing at NASCAR’s national level. Another year of development isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And even if he stays at Xfinity full-time, Trackhouse would continue to provide Zilisch with limited Cup starts in its fourth part-time entry.

“We’ll see what his future holds, but right now we have a mechanism in the company to put that extra car out,” Marks said. “We just want him to get that experience. No expectations for results or anything like that.

“We have the opportunity to give him the learning experience, and we’ll continue to do that. The Cup Series is a different sport than the Xfinity Series. It is just so, so difficult. The only way to learn is to go out there and do it.”

Keeping Zilisch in Xfinity for another year also effectively allows Trackhouse to postpone any major decisions. This pathway would enable Suárez to retain his ride while also providing Marks with a larger sample size to assess whether van Gisbergen can adapt to ovals. Then, next year, Trackhouse could decide on whether to retain Suárez or van Gisbergen.

Marks told The Athletic that no decisions have been made about Trackhouse’s 2026 roster, and the team hasn’t even started contemplating it. Something to keep in mind, though, there are three street/road courses in the upcoming seven races, giving van Gisbergen a strong chance to score a win. Should he cash in, it would go a long way to firming up his future with Trackhouse for next year.

“(Road courses) are where everyone expects us to perform,” van Gisbergen said. “… It’s been a big learning process the last couple of months. It’ll be nice to have a break and turn right.”

Denny Hamlin

A superstar, championship-contending driver like Hamlin being in a contract year would typically generate plenty of discussion about his future. Except in this case, there is a high probability that he will re-sign with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he has spent the entirety of his 20-year career. Hamlin said as much last week when asked about the current state of negotiations.

“Working on it,” Hamlin said. “Should be something done somewhat soon.”

Kaulig Racing and AJ Allmendinger 

Seemingly, no Silly Season overview is complete without mentioning Kaulig Racing, whose driver lineup often is in flux from year to year.

It came as no surprise, then, that Allmendinger was uncertain about his status for next season — he has bounced between Kaulig’s Cup and Xfinity programs in recent years — when asked by The Athletic. Allmendinger said he wasn’t sure where things stood, but was happy to do whatever team owner Matt Kaulig and president Chris Rice thought best.

While Allmendinger’s future may be unclear, Rice left no doubt about which series Allmendinger will be competing in next year, stating that “100 percent” Allmendinger will remain as the driver of Kaulig’s No. 16 Cup entry. Keeping Allmendinger in the Cup makes sense, considering how much he has elevated the team’s performance. He is currently ranked 18th in the standings, just 13 points behind the provisional cutoff to make the playoffs.

Corey Heim has 15 wins in 75 Truck Series starts, including last weekend in Charlotte. He is likely to have a future on 23XI Racing’s Cup team. (David Jensen / Getty Images)

Corey Heim

Ask someone in the garage what they think of 23XI Racing reserve driver Heim, and the likely response is that he’s both ready for and deserving of a full-time Cup ride. The soon-to-be 23-year-old has 15 Truck Series wins in 75 career starts and impressed in limited Cup starts.

“He’s going to be a Sunday Cup guy,” said Hamlin, 23XI co-owner. “There’s no doubt in my mind about it. He’s going to be with 23XI for the long haul.”

But while Heim will likely be in the Cup full-time someday, it won’t be next year. Instead, he’ll continue to race full-time outside of Cup (with spot Cup starts mixed in) while waiting for an opportunity to materialize. Currently, that opportunity isn’t there. 23XI’s 2026 lineup is set with Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst all under contract. That makes 2027 the earliest timeline for Heim to secure a full-time Cup ride.

“(Heim is) doing everything (he’s been) asked to,” Hamlin said. “He’s in the building multiple times per week, working on his craft, continuing to get better, waiting on the opportunity. And he knows he’s got a long-term future with 23XI Racing, and he’s happy with that. And he’s happy with the development process that we have set out for him in the future.

“But, ultimately, there’s only three cars, three charters that we’re allowed to have, and so we have to figure out in the future where we go with that.”

Other names to watch (listed alphabetically): Aric Almirola, Corey LaJoie, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith.

(Top photo of Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

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