At just 18 years of age, Connor Zilisch made history on Saturday by winning his debut NASCAR Xfinity Series race. He will next race at Kansas, Homestead, and Phoenix before transforming into a full-time driver for JR Motorsports in 2025. While he is set to achieve superstardom in the upcoming years, how do his current skills compare to those of someone like Shane van Gisbergen (SVG)?
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Cup Series veteran Denny Hamlin pitched the youngster and the Supercars Champion against each other in a brief comparison of their chances of success in the highest level of NASCAR. He took to Actions Detrimental to note how SVG was still largely inexperienced when it came to racing on oval tracks, something Zilisch is already adept at as proven by his ventures in the lower rungs of stock car racing.
Hamlin believes that this oval-racing experience gives Zilisch an advantage over SVG and makes him the better driver of the two. He worded his opinion, “I think Connor’s got a leg up on him. If you had to ask me to pick one of the two, Connor. Just because I think he’s more versed in the ovals than what SVG is. But when you look at what their capability is on road courses, I consider them equals right now.”
SVG will drive for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series beginning in 2025. His debut year in the Xfinity Series was precisely to shorten his inadequacy in oval tracks and prepare him for a full-time stint in the premier tier. From Hamlin’s point-of-view, the New Zealander still needs a couple of years on the tracks to master his skills on the ovals and bring them on par with his road course abilities.
Where did NASCAR’s hottest young driver come from?
Zilisch had a telling weekend with a win in the ARCA Menards Series alongside his Xfinity Series exploits. The back-to-back success has shot him up the popularity ladder and made him the hottest driver on the field right now. So, where did it all start for him?
Just like many others before him, Zilisch, a native of Charlotte, began racing at the young age of five. The first marker of his extraordinary talent came in 2017 when he won the Mini Rok World Championship in South Garda, Italy. He moved from karts to cars in 2021 and began racing late models in 2022. Driving for Carroll Speedshop, he won two races at the Hickory Speedway.
He also participated in the 2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup Series and won a $110,000 racing scholarship before getting into the Trans Am Series. He is currently a development driver for Trackhouse Racing and will be on loan to JR Motorsports in 2025.
The first victory that a driver gets always remains sweeter than what comes after. Hopefully, Zilisch enjoys his achievement to the brim surrounded by the applause of icons like Hamlin.
