“Sometimes It’s Tough”: Connor Zilisch Reflects on Remaining Grounded Amid Early NASCAR Success

At just 18, Connor Zilisch has quickly become one of the most talked-about young drivers in NASCAR, turning heads with a meteoric rise and natural pace behind the wheel. He began etching his path in motorsports at five, cutting his teeth in go-karts back in 2011. After a decade of sharpening his skills, he shifted to stock cars in 2021 and, by 2022, had already caught the eye of NASCAR insiders with a win in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series.

From there, Zilisch’s path has only gone uphill. He won a race in the CARS Pro Model Tour at Ace Speedway, won multiple ARCA Menards Series races with Pinnacle Racing Group, bagged a top-five finish in his NASCAR Truck Series debut, and made headlines with a win at Watkins Glen in his very first Xfinity Series start last season.

This year, while running full-time in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, he’s also dipped his toes into the Cup Series, making three starts. His best NASCAR Cup finish came at Atlanta, where he drove his #87 Trackhouse Racing car to P11.

In Xfinity, Zilisch has already won two races at COTA and Pocono, four top-five finishes, and two top 10s, numbers that speak volumes for a rookie barely out of high school.

Despite the achievements piling up, Zilisch stays grounded. During a recent appearance on NewsNation ahead of the Chicago Street Race, he opened up about guiding early success.

“Sometimes it’s tough for me. I got to take a step back and look at what I’m doing and how cool it is because sometimes you’re just caught in the moment and don’t get the chance to really reflect on what you’re doing,” he admitted.

“So, I’ve definitely learned to do that, and it’s thanks to a lot of the people around me. I’m very fortunate to be in the situation I’m in at my age and not a lot of 18-year-olds get to do what I do, so it’s been awesome,” he added.

With a flair for road courses, Zilisch will now look to bring that same firepower to the winding streets of Chicago, as he takes on the next challenge on Saturday.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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