Connor Zilisch turned heads with his debut in NASCAR, winning his debut Xfinity Series race and securing a top-five finish in his first-ever Truck Series outing. However, his stint in the Cup Series didn’t unfold as smoothly. His debut Cup race came to an abrupt halt following a collision with teammate Daniel Suarez early in Stage 3.
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Despite the setback, Zilisch exhibited great pace and composure behind the wheel of the Next Gen car at COTA, earning praise from veteran drivers across various platforms and podcasts. Still, for all the buzz he generated, Zilisch revealed that no one from the Cup garage personally approached him for insight.
In his recent appearance on SpeedFreaks, the soft-spoken and grounded young driver shared that while seasoned competitors often speak about him, they have yet to seek his perspective directly.
He did, however, recount a brief yet meaningful exchange with the #8 RCR driver. “Kyle Bush, I was talking to him before the race at COTA,” Zilisch recalled, “He was asking for advice for his kid and how he should take his career with Brexton.”
The part-time Trackhouse Racing driver shared that he sees a bright future for Brexton Busch, predicting the youngster is bound to make waves in the sport, appreciating the opportunity to discuss Brexton’s path and long-term plans with Busch.
However, he added, “Nobody’s asked me for racing advice for themselves yet. I don’t think any NASCAR driver has the… Everyone’s ego, all of our egos, are way too high to ask another driver for advice.”
That said, Zilisch appears eager to be a sponge around experienced drivers — open to learning the ropes and soaking up wisdom from those who’ve been around the block.
Zilisch resonates with Logano’s career
Although Zilisch admitted that, like many others, he grew up cheering for Jimmie Johnson and held the seven-time champion in high regard, when it comes to seeking inspiration, mentorship, or practical guidance, he finds himself more drawn to Team Penske’s Joey Logano.
Speaking on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, the young Trackhouse driver noted that he sees shades of his own journey in Logano’s career. Just as Logano broke into the top-tier series at 18, so has Zilisch.
That parallel, he said, makes him eager to understand Logano’s mindset during those early years — what missteps he made, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned the hard way.
Zilisch shared that hearing those stories firsthand could offer him a valuable playbook to navigate his own path more wisely.
At the same time, Zilisch emphasized that his admiration for Johnson remains as strong as ever. In fact, he revealed that his appreciation has grown deeper with time, particularly as he has come to understand the grit behind Johnson’s unprecedented five-title streak.
While many might rest on their laurels after such success, Johnson, he noted, never let up, consistently returning to the track hungrier than before.
