Connor Zilisch in the No. 87 Red Bull Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet during NASCAR Cup Series practice at Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: John Arndt | The Podium Finish)
DEL VALLE, Texas – At just 18 years and 223 days old, Connor Zilisch is set to become the youngest driver to make their NASCAR Cup Series debut in over 15 years.
This is, of course, no small feat for any driver who dreams of making it to the top rung of the professional motorsports ladder. For someone so young and inexperienced compared to his fellow competitors, Zilisch will have quite the mountain to climb at Circuit of the Americas.
“You don’t want to go out and make a fool of yourself because once you lose respect of all the veterans, it’s really tough to get it back,” Zilisch said during his XFINITY Series media availability on Friday. “So, you definitely want to race them the right way at first and, you know, show them that you’re going to race them with respect. I think if you do that, they’ll give it back to you.”
The Charlotte, North Carolina native may not be as seasoned as the rest of the Cup Series field, but he has no shortage of major accomplishments. Last year alone, he claimed the checkered flag in his XFINITY Series debut at Watkins Glen and won 2 IMSA endurance races in the LMP2 class, the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours at Sebring. He also won five of the eight ARCA Menards Series races he entered.
Despite last year’s success, the start of 2025 has proven to be a challenge for Zilisch in the XFINITY Series. He has failed to finish the last two races and is determined to turn his season around.
Connor Zilisch working with JR Motorsports teammate Ross Chastain during NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying at Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: John Arndt | The Podium Finish)
A road course is exactly what the doctor ordered for Zilisch, as he qualified his No. 88 Weathertech JR Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole for Saturday’s 65-lap Focused Health 250 and overcame unexpected obstacles to win the event.
“It’s a really good start to the weekend,” Zilisch said after qualifying on Friday. “We’ve had a rough start to the year, so getting the momentum swinging in the right direction is much needed. What better place to do it than at a track like this?”
After suffering a penalty at the end of Stage 1 for entering pit road at the time of a caution and later making contact with Corey Heim, there were moments when victory was questionable. However, Zilisch prevailed and stormed through the field to take the checkered flag.
“Really proud of my entire JR Motorsports team. We had such a fast car and I’m honestly more frustrated with myself than I am happy,” Zilisch said in a post-race media conference. “I made way too many mistakes and made it way harder on myself. There’s so many things I could say that I could have done better.”
Connor Zilisch during Cup qualifying at Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: John Arndt | The Podium Finish)
Zilisch’s experience in Saturday’s Xfinity race will be crucial to his success on Sunday. Every lap turned is one more lap during which a driver can learn something. Even proven Cup winners such as Ross Chastain and William Byron participated in Saturday’s Xfinity event to prepare for Sunday.
Preparation has been key for Zilisch leading up to this doubleheader weekend, but the most important thing on his mind is not to overdo it.
“I kind of give myself a guideline of you know, a checklist for practice. A checklist for the race…things that I want to achieve and things I want to do. But I don’t overload myself with information prior to the event because you never know what could change.”
That mindset proved to be successful for Zilisch as he qualified 14th for his first Cup race. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 3:30 PM EST on FOX.
Editor’s Notes
Rob Tiongson contributed to this article onsite from Circuit of the Americas in Del Valle, Texas.
