With the news that Alex Bowman will retire at the end of 2027, Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 will be vacant and in need of a driver for the 2028 NASCAR Cup Series season. Here are three potential candidates to take over the iconic car.
Corey Day
Day is the in-house favorite, given that he currently drives the No. 17 Chevy for HMS in the O’Reilly Series. The question will be whether or not he’s mature enough to take over the ride. He struggled early in the O’Reilly Series season and caused multiple incidents, though he’s caught fire as of late and scored his first career win at Talladega.
Day is very much an O’Reilly Series title threat this season and will be next year as well. But will he be developed enough to take over a Cup ride at the winningest team in the sport?
Connor Zilisch
According to Sports Business Journal, Zilisch is at the top of HMS’ “wishlist” as far as potential replacements for Bowman, and why wouldn’t he be? He won 11 O’Reilly races in 2025 and will have two years of Cup experience under his belt when 2028 rolls around.
Sure, his rookie season in the Cup Series has been mostly miserable, but he is learning at least a little bit every week. The question will be if Hendrick wants him as badly as Trackhouse Racing wants to keep him, and if that’s the case, whether or not Trackhouse wants or is able to match the money Hendrick throws at him.
Rajah Caruth
This is an extreme long shot, and that’s not a shot at Caruth. Rick Hendrick clearly likes the Washington, D.C., native, as he’s helped sponsor his vehicles in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. That partnership could come in very handy for Caruth.
On the other hand, the 24-year-old isn’t close to being ready for a Cup ride yet. He’s been solid in his young NASCAR career so far, winning multiple Truck Series races and being in contention for a Chase berth in his rookie O’Reilly Series season, but both Zilisch and a fellow NOAPS rookie in Day are both much further along in their development.
But if Trackhouse manages to keep Zilisch and Day either stays in the O’Reilly Series or is poached by another team, the aforementioned partnership between Caruth and Hendrick could become much more than sponsorship.
