Connor Zilisch could have been a Ferrari or Red Bull Racing driver in Formula 1. But fate pulled him toward stock car racing, where he has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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Talking to Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton in the latest episode of SPEED, Zilisch explained how he chose to traverse the ovals of NASCAR even though his ambition lay in open-wheel racing. A lot of it had to do with money.
Formula 1 is an expensive affair. It is expensive even to reach there. Drivers typically pass through karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2 before reaching the top rung of the ladder. This path can cost in excess of $20 million, and finding a sponsor as a teenager from the United States is an excruciating challenge. This was a reason for Zilisch not choosing F1. But it wasn’t the only one.
“A lot of it, I owe it to Kevin [Harvick]. In 2021, I was racing go-karts and a little bit of sports car stuff. Nothing at a high level. At that point, the opportunity to go open-wheel racing wasn’t there. I didn’t have the family money to go do it. It was very expensive. Even the open wheel feeder stuff. There was not much opportunity,” said the 19-year-old, who drives with Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series.
Harvick acted as a mentor to Zilisch, showing him the path he could take in NASCAR. Zilisch found it to be a sensible step to take and took maximum advantage of every car he got into.
In 2023, he became the Trans Am TA 2 champion. In 2024, at the age of 17, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 class race. These achievements grabbed eyeballs from around the world, including those in Formula 1.
“I started to make a name for myself here. The doors on the other side of the world, or in the other paddocks, opened up. But at that point, it was not really an option. I love what I am doing here in NASCAR,” said Zilisch, whose expertise on road courses is what led to the notion that he would be incredible in the European circuits.
Zilisch, however, has been showcasing his ability in NASCAR as well. He signed with Trackhouse Racing as a development driver under the guidance of Harvick. And in 2025, he grabbed 10 victories in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and made history.
