Connor Zilisch already knows what it takes to win at Daytona, having parked his car in Xfinity Victory Lane in the fall of 2025. But the Daytona 500 in the Cup Series is a whole different game, and heading into his first outing this coming weekend, Zilisch has toned down his expectations.
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Four years ago, Zilisch sat in the grandstands as a fan with a ticket in hand, still finding his way in the sport, watching Austin Cindric win as a rookie. Now, he will exchange that seat in the stands for one on the grid, competing against the drivers he once admired from the other side of the catch fence.
Zilisch is looking forward to driver introductions in front of a crowd of more than 100,000. The roar, the walk down the stage, and the moment when the field lines up and the world seems to narrow to 200 laps. He still does a double take when he spots fans wearing his gear. To him, the fan base is the engine that keeps the sport running. Having been one of the sport’s biggest fans himself, he now gets to line up alongside the names he once watched on screen and from the stands.
However, the Trackhouse Racing driver is not walking in with his head in the clouds. In the pre-race media session, Zilisch laid out what would count as a win in his book. While he agreed that a win would definitely work, he said, “I think if I could just make it to the end, and I think, you know, a top ten I’d be happy about. I’m not saying if I finish 11th I’d be mad, but it’s just I think I have low expectations for myself.”
He added, “I don’t expect to go out and win my first race. It would be really cool to do that. Obviously, we show up to the track every week with the goal to win, but I don’t expect myself to. So I think making it to the end, as long as I can say I did everything I could and I made the right moves, you know, I think that’s what I’d be satisfied with.”
.@ConnorZilisch weighs in on being the most recent addition to the list of drivers labeled as the next @JeffGordonWeb. #NASCAR
Presenting Partner: @DrivenSun pic.twitter.com/zecnswk89N— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) February 11, 2026
The jump from Saturday racing to Sunday racing is no small step. The gap between the support series and the Cup garage can feel like night and day, and Zilisch knows he is climbing the ladder rung by rung, aware that the next rung does not give way.
During the offseason, some analysts drew comparisons between Zilisch and Jeff Gordon. He hears the talk and understands what that name carries, but Zilisch prefers to keep his feet on the ground, because comparisons do not turn laps. Work does.
As he heads into his full-time Cup debut, the advice that sticks with him is to enjoy the race to the fullest. The move to the top tier comes with pressure, and he fully expects a trial by fire. Still, the 19-year-old plans to keep his head down, learn the ropes, analyze the field, and let the chips fall where they may.
