In January 2024, Zilisch signed a multi-year improvement take care of Trackhouse Racing, the NASCAR Cup Sequence group co-owned by former racer Justin Marks and Cuban-American rap star Pitbull.
Marks is kind of the visionary among the many NASCAR group house owners, making his race group function as an efficient advertising and marketing software that permits him to do issues otherwise – like bringing the immensely gifted Shane van Gisbergen throughout from Supercars in Australia.
Now his newest mission is Zilisch, a former karting star from Charlotte, N.C. who has been tearing up a number of sequence throughout America on all type of tracks regardless of his tender years.
Connor Zilisch in home karting competitors
Photograph by: Cody Schindel
Who’s Connor Zilisch?
A winner of a number of nationwide kart titles in his youth, Zilisch turned the primary American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2020, which was gained by Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc in 2011. He switched to automotive racing in 2021.
In 2022, he was Rookie of the 12 months within the Mazda MX-5 Cup and took the primary steps on his path in inventory automobiles, working some native Late Mannequin occasions and bagging a few wins on the age of 15.
Final yr, Zilisch nearly scored a maiden ARCA win on his sequence debut – after main for 34 laps – however was handed on the remaining nook at Watkins Glen by present Xfinity Sequence star Jesse Love, who nerfed his manner forward as Connor battled towards a damaged sway bar.
Zilisch additionally starred in Trans-Am, turning into the sequence’ youngest-ever race winner and taking 5 wins. In Mazdas, he scored 4 victories in 10 begins.
Pole sitter Connor Zilisch, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet Silverado
Photograph by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Photos
On account of his age, Zilisch can not run a full-time nationwide NASCAR-sanctioned sequence; he’s solely allowed to contest occasions on smaller oval tracks and street programs. He presently leads the ARCA East standings by 17 factors from reigning champion William Sawalisch, who’s Toyota’s 17-year-old prodigy and signed to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Zilisch has already taken two ARCA Menards nationwide wins from two begins, his most up-to-date coming after an unimaginable duel for victory with Sawalisch at Iowa (see video under).
His worst end within the sequence is that Watkins Glen runner-up spot from 2023…
Zilisch scored pole place on his NASCAR Truck Sequence debut at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas by twice smashing the lap report, and completed fourth towards drivers who’d been racing within the sequence earlier than he was born. He additionally gained a CARS Late Mannequin race at Hickory Motor Speedway, the three/8-mile North Carolina brief oval that boasts to be the ‘Birthplace of NASCAR stars’.
However maybe his most spectacular feat up to now has been profitable the LMP2 class on the Daytona 24 Hours and Twelve Hours of Sebring with Period Motorsports, regardless of by no means having pushed a prototype or downforce automotive beforehand.
#18 Period Motorsport ORECA LMP2-Gibson: Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, Connor Zilisch
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photos
What does Zilisch should say?
As you’d anticipate from a 17-year-old prodigy who’s gained a ton of races and signed to a NASCAR Cup group, he doesn’t lack self-confidence or cockiness. However he speaks very properly and is suitably humble about what he’s achieved…
“It’s undoubtedly been a shock to me,” says Zilisch of his rise to prominence. “It’s been a picture-perfect begin to the yr in all actually, with the ability to win as many races as I’ve.
“Successful prestigious races like Daytona and Sebring has been surreal. Actually, I couldn’t have dreamt of a greater begin to the yr.
“Clearly I’ve nonetheless bought an extended method to go, I wish to shut out championships, in sportscars and on the oval facet of issues. I really feel I’ve undoubtedly bought an extended method to go.”
Regardless of hailing from Charlotte, NASCAR’s dwelling metropolis, Zilisch has been a longtime fan of sportscar racing.
“I by no means got here from open-wheel or something with downforce, however I grew up in go-karts and lots of people inform you they really feel as quick as something you’ll be able to drive,” he provides. “My background fits it properly, despite the fact that my path now could be chasing NASCAR, however I all the time dreamed of racing stuff like this after I was a child.
“I all the time watched the massive endurance races, like Daytona, and I all the time needed to race within the prime stage of IMSA sometime. Issues have modified for me now, chasing the dream of racing in NASCAR, however [driving the P2 car] does match my roots and I really feel I drive it properly, which is why I’ve been capable of finding success so rapidly.
“Each weekend I’ve been driving one thing completely different, racing on grime, ovals or street programs, I all the time discover a method to make issues work. I suppose I’ve carried out it a lot it comes naturally at this level.”
Connor Zilisch, Spire Motorsports, with Truck Sequence team-mate Rajah Caruth, who’s backed by Rick Hendrick
Photograph by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Photos
He’s real looking that his profession actually lies in inventory automobiles, which is the place the massive bucks are made and fame lies…
“As a lot as my 11-year-old self would have cherished to go racing sportscars for the remainder of my life, it’s the cheap factor for me and my future as a race automotive driver,” he explains of his chosen NASCAR profession path.
“The chance [with Trackhouse] mainly landed in my lap. It was very arduous to say no to signing a long-term contract with a Cup Sequence group – getting the chance to go NASCAR racing, and hopefully attending to race within the Cup in the future.”
When Motorsport.com asks if he’d prefer to proceed his extra-curricular actions – like Kyle Larson manages with mid-week dash automotive racing – Zilisch seems to be just a little wistful that he’s going to have to present it up.
“I want I may proceed to do it, proper?” he replied. “If there was greater than 52 weekends in a yr, I’d like to! Based mostly on the best way issues are going, I’m not going to have the ability to race full-time on this stuff. I positive do wish to hold doing one-off stuff, like Daytona, hopefully I’ll be capable to do huge races like that also.
“I used to be super-fortunate to get this chance as a result of that is in all probability the final yr the place I’m bouncing from automotive to automotive. I assume subsequent yr I’ll be settled down in a single sequence, racing for a championship over the yr.
“I’m not laser-focused on something but, however it is going to be powerful if I’m racing full-time in one of many NASCAR championships to race a lot on the IMSA facet of issues.
“Solely final yr I used to be working within the lowest class in IMSA [MX-5 Cup] and I used to be simply on the lookout for a manner by way of, perhaps a GT4 automotive or no matter, and I bought the chance to go all the way down to Daytona and shootout for a seat in an LMP2 automotive, which I actually didn’t have too excessive hopes for, as a result of I’d by no means pushed a automotive with downforce earlier than.
“It was such a unique expertise for me, however I made it occur and bought the chance with Period Motorsports this yr, I’m positive glad they took an opportunity on a child my age. Clearly, I’d by no means carried out this earlier than at this stage, and it was dangerous for them, but it surely definitely paid off within the first two races of the season.
“It’s cool to have team-mates who assist me, like Ryan Dalziel and Dwight [Merriman], they’re such a cool group of individuals. It’s undoubtedly been wild, and manner past what I may ever have anticipated.”
12 Hours of Sebring LMP2 podium: Zilisch takes middle stage with Period Motorsport ORECA team-mates Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photos
Conclusion
Historical past teaches us that for each teenaged prodigy famous person driver like Joey Logano, who was famously hyped by NASCAR veteran Mark Martin as ‘sliced bread’, there’s a Brad Coleman.
Coleman was found at an indoor karting middle by Le Mans 24 Hours winner Value Cobb, and he would set an age report by ending the Daytona 24 Hours at simply 16. He launched into a inventory automotive profession, driving in ARCA after which the Busch (now Xfinity) Sequence competitors the identical week that he graduated from highschool.
Signed by Joe Gibbs Racing on a driver improvement program, after they had been all the fad, he shared a automotive with the likes of Tony Stewart and Aric Almirola in 2007 and produced 5 top-10s from 17 begins in his rookie part-time season.
Regardless of displaying promise over his four-year profession, with a few sixth-placed finishes in 2010, he by no means achieved that breakthrough win. His profession got here to a halt, by way of a scarcity of sponsorship, after 57 Xfinity-level races and one Cup begin at Michigan.
Brad Coleman hits the wall at Bristol
Photograph by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
Coleman admits he bought right into a “psychological funk” throughout that point, and his profession demise knell was a sponsor deal to change to Roush Fenway Racing in 2011 falling by way of the day earlier than the announcement. Disillusioned and depressed, he didn’t watch a race on TV for the subsequent 5 years, and have become a driving teacher for 15-year-olds that he jokes was “far more terrifying than any race I’ve ever been in”.
Coleman’s story ought to each a cautionary story and motivator for Zilisch, simply as a lot as Daytona 500 winner and Cup Sequence champion Logano’s fortunes – who turned NASCAR’s youngest-ever Cup winner at 19 with Gibbs – and somebody who now enjoys all the trimmings of a millionaire racing driver’s way of life now with Group Penske.
But when Zilisch can hold his profitable behavior going, and his ego in test as his profession progresses, then the sky actually is his restrict.
