What I'm hearing about NASCAR free agency, from Kyle Busch to Connor Zilisch

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His future is one of the hot topics in this year's NASCAR "Silly Season." Jeff Robinson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Share articleNearly every NASCAR team came into 2026 expected to be in the market to sign at least one new driver, creating anticipation throughout the industry on how “Silly Season,” the league’s annual free-agent frenzy, would unfold. Many believed that there would be significant movement, a seismic shakeup featuring several notable drivers joining new teams. Now, after 12 races, five months and much speculation, expectations have shifted. There will be some jumping around, because there always is, just likely not as many eye-popping moves as had been anticipated. Even before the season, a frequent question was whether Kyle Busch, on an expiring contract, would re-sign with Richard Childress Racing or the parties would go their separate ways at the end of the year. Busch said he wanted to get through the opening stretch of the season to see how RCR was doing before making any decision. When the organization then struggled, a divorce felt inevitable. Despite the sluggish performance, it is increasingly likely that Busch and RCR will remain together, with Busch eventually signing an extension, team and league sources say. Busch is in the midst of a career-worst 105-race winless streak and sits 66 points out of a Chase berth, but each side has reasons for this relationship to continue into 2027. There is no other potential opening where Busch would seamlessly fit, nor a team with an open spot that would be an upgrade over his current home. Leaving would likely be a step backward, which makes little sense for a driver who just turned 41 and has few prime years remaining. From the RCR perspective, the decision to re-sign Busch would be understandable. He remains an upper-echelon talent. Yes, he’s in a slump, but he is certainly still capable of winning races. If RCR were to lose him, there isn’t another driver available who could instantly provide the same level of performance. Then there is the business side. Busch is one of the most marketable drivers in the sport, with a large social media following — a vital factor that sponsors seek. RCR has maximized this during Busch’s four years with the organization, regularly bringing on new partners who specifically want to be linked with the two-time Cup champion. Losing Busch would mean losing a key conduit to retaining both current and potential new sponsors. Alex Bowman’s future with Hendrick Motorsports is a topic of speculation each year, and with Bowman in a contract year, it’s no different in 2026. It’s been a rough stretch for Bowman, whose last win came in July 2024. He was a non-factor most weeks in 2025 and then missed four races this season while recovering from vertigo. All this has happened during a period when teammates William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have each won multiple times and vied for championships, with Larson winning the title last year. It’s why Bowman’s future with Hendrick is very much unsettled, even if he is well-liked within Hendrick and has the full support of primary sponsor Ally. Should Bowman not return to Hendrick, how the team fills the vacancy will be fascinating. Does it look to stay in-house, or does NASCAR’s most accomplished organization, and the one with the deepest pockets and resources, leverage its blueblood status to entice an A-level talent to make the jump? The former option would see Hendrick promote Corey Day from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where the 20-year-old has impressed in his first full season in NASCAR’s second-tier series, with one win and nine top 10s in 13 starts. While Day has shown great potential, another season in O’Reilly could be good for his long-term development. Still, this is a route Hendrick has chosen before, notably with Byron in 2018 and Kyle Busch in 2005. Outside of the organization, a name frequently linked to Hendrick is Connor Zilisch, with both sides believed to have interest in the other, according to league sources. Complicating matters is that Zilisch is under contract with Trackhouse Racing, thereby requiring Hendrick to negotiate a buyout — if Trackhouse is amenable. More likely is that Hendrick waits until next year to pursue Zilisch. Beyond Day and Zilisch, there is not another driver known to be on Hendrick’s radar should they need to replace Bowman. And for those who think Hendrick should sign Busch, who drove for the team from 2005-2007, a reunion is not in the cards, league sources say. RFK Racing leadership faces a unique situation. Not only do all three drivers (Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece) have contracts either expiring or with options that need to be exercised, but the team’s contract with anchor sponsor Kroger is also up. RFK also finds itself without a third charter, as the one it’s leasing from Rick Ware Racing is already spoken for. That charter is one of two owned by RWR, one of which is already sold to Legacy Motor Club, while RWR is keeping the other for itself in 2027. The driver situation is fairly straightforward, with Keselowski, who’s also a team co-owner, saying there is a strong likelihood all three drivers return next year. Something to keep in mind: Buescher is one of the more highly regarded drivers in the garage, and there are known teams with varying degrees of interest in him. “All three drivers are going through their contract process,” Keselowski said. “That said, I think we feel pretty comfortable, but nothing cemented for sure.” Negotiations with Kroger, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the United States, are ongoing, with the company also expected to return, though with another caveat — Kroger is one of the more sought-after sponsors in the sport, so it would have viable options should it decide to look around. How RFK resolves the charter conundrum is much less clear. If Keselowski is correct that he, Buescher and Preece all return in 2027, then RFK would have three drivers yet only two charters. The organization could elect to have one of its teams run as an “open” entry. There are downsides, however, including no assurances of starting every points race and lower payouts. Multiple team executives told The Athletic there is a $5 million gulf, at a minimum, in revenue between running as a charter team versus being an open entry over the course of the year. “Our primary goal is to (secure) a third charter,” Keselowski said. “We have sponsorship contracts through next year to run three teams. And there is an option on the table to run the third car unchartered, if we have to. There’s financial implications to doing that, but we’re committed to our team and our people, and we’re going to find a solution.” Could RFK purchase a charter? Yes, though it would likely be expensive. While a charter hasn’t been sold since they were effectively made evergreen following last year’s lawsuit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR and then-CEO Jim France, the lowest price point is estimated to be approaching $100 million. This is a sizable figure, especially for an ownership group that has previously balked at buying a charter when the price was considerably less. Leasing a charter again would negate concerns over missing the Daytona 500 or any other race, but there may not be an available charter to lease. And this would also only be a one-year stopgap, with RFK in the same position next year. Still, if a deal can be reached with a team willing to lease a charter, this option makes a lot of sense. Spire Motorsports, in recent years, has made several high-profile signings, from drivers to crew chiefs to front office personnel, so it comes as no surprise that Spire is again a team to watch. Unless Spire decides against making some noise this go-round. After years of shuffling and reshuffling, Spire is preferring stability and at present is happy with its three-driver lineup consisting of Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell and Daniel Suárez. The consensus within the organization, team sources say, is that they’re not itching to make a change. (Suárez was considered on the bubble coming into the season, but his impressive performance — he’s currently 14th and in a Chase spot — has quieted any speculation that he could be one-and-done.) But this being Spire, plans are always subject to change. Keep an eye on McDowell’s status. Compared to Hocevar (who had a captivating win at Talladega and is seventh in points) and Suárez (18 points above the Chase cut line), McDowell has had an up-and-down season that has him ranked 21st in points after rebounding with a runner-up finish Sunday at Watkins Glen. “There’s no doubt these last four weeks have been rough for (his No. 71 team),” the 41-year-old McDowell said Saturday, before the Watkins Glen race. “We know that. But the plus side is our race team has a lot of speed. Our teammates have had a lot of speed, so we know how to get there, and we know what we need to do. We just had a bad few weeks. … “It’s been rough … but, no, I don’t have any plans to quit anytime soon. But I do feel like there’s obviously a limit on how long you can do this. I don’t know what that number is, but I want to be performing well, and as long as I’m performing well, I feel good about doing it.” Should Spire decide to enter the Silly Season fray, Busch is the name most frequently linked to them. Bringing the two-time Cup champion aboard does make some sense, but it’s not guaranteed to make Spire better, considering his recent performance, age and potential contract demands. The likeliest scenario for now is that Spire’s lineup remains the same. With the Jimmie Johnson co-owned Legacy Motor Club having acquired a third charter, it will be expanding to three full-time teams next year. During its search over the past year, Legacy has tossed out several names. That search is effectively over, with 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst as the leading candidate to fill out the team’s driver roster. The two sides are expected to eventually finalize a deal, according to team and league sources. Although he struggled during his 2025 rookie campaign, Herbst has improved his average starting position by seven spots and his average finishing position by four. With Herbst expected to join Legacy, who then replaces him on the team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin? There’s one obvious choice for 23XI Racing. That would be 23-year-old Corey Heim, widely considered NASCAR’s top young prospect not already full-time in Cup and already under contract to 23XI. The defending Truck Series champion is running a mixed schedule this season, but Heim has impressed in his limited Cup starts — including a 15th at Kansas and leading 69 laps at Texas before crashing out. “(Heim’s) certainly running really well,” Hamlin said. “I think that (at Texas) he would say that he felt very similar to like he was in his first year of trucks, where he kind of didn’t know exactly where the edge was, and that’s why (he) kind of stepped over there at the end (and crashed). But that just comes with track time, and he’s going to get plenty of it this year, and we’ll see where that goes.” One of NASCAR’s rising stars and the reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, Jesse Love has varying degrees of interest from multiple teams. Love has shown his ability behind the wheel and also his maturity off the track — like when he defused a tense post-race situation earlier this year at Martinsville. The 21-year-old Love has made it known he wants to be full-time in Cup next year, and with the number of teams that have openings, he may have the opportunity. One option is, of course, Richard Childress Racing, his current O’Reilly team that would have a vacancy if Kyle Busch departs. Sliding Love into Busch’s seat would be a rather seamless transition and a strong possibility, according to team and league sources. Other names to watch (listed alphabetically): Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Sheldon Creed, Ty Dillon, Front Row Motorsports, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, Kaulig Racing, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms