Despite Connor Zilisch’s promising start in NASCAR, with a debut Xfinity Series win and a top-5 finish in his debut Truck race, his initial Cup race at COTA was less fortunate, ending prematurely due to a collision with his teammate, Daniel Suarez, early in Stage 3. However, he showed great speed and performance driving the Next Gen car at COTA. Addressing the same, Kevin Harvick offered some sage advice to the 18-year-old about the challenges of transitioning to a full-time Cup stint.
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The former Stewart Haas Racing driver highlighted the difference in preparation between participating in selective races and committing to a full season. He noted that getting ready for a single race, particularly on a preferred track type, whether a road course or oval, is considerably simpler.
The real challenge arises when drivers must continually bounce back week after week, especially after a disappointing performance, all while juggling the schedule of races, public appearances, and other obligations.
On his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick articulated this sentiment: “When you only have to prepare for one race or two races or handful races and they’re all on road course type racetracks, it’s a lot easier than managing the whole year — Week to week — I think that’s where you’ll really start to see exactly what Zillich is made of…”
He further explained, “The challenge becomes how do you manage a 38-week season, more money in your bank account, all the girls out there looking for a new boyfriend. There’s just a lot of life things that you have to manage around that.”
Harvick offered a dose of reality to the budding Trackhouse Racing driver, emphasizing the relentless demands placed on drivers to sustain their level of preparedness week after week.
In addition to sharpening their skills on favored tracks, drivers must also master a variety of ovals and manage a hectic schedule of event appearances. Harvick pointed out, “So your time becomes crunched very quickly when you go cup racing.”
Preparing for one race is very different than preparing for an entire season. @KevinHarvick on the challenges that lie ahead for Connor Zilisch. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ZuVj5oe1in
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) March 4, 2025
He elaborated that the real challenge lies in time management and juggling the myriad responsibilities necessary to compete consistently throughout the season, as opposed to preparing for just a few select races. Harvick further illustrated this point by referencing Ty Gibbs, who has previously wrestled with these very challenges.
When Denny Hamlin showed a lot of confidence in Zilisch’s racing abilities on various tracks.
Given Zilisch’s impressive performances on road course tracks, it’s acknowledged that he would find it easier to prepare for a Cup-level road course race. However, when comparing his overall racing abilities to someone like Shane van Gisbergen — who won his debut NASCAR Cup race at Chicago in 2023 — Hamlin highlighted that, unlike SVG, Zilisch has already worked on ovals and has experience racing on various types of ovals in the lower tiers of stock car racing.
While SVG is still finding his footing on ovals, despite excelling on road courses, Hamlin, comparing the two, expressed on an episode of Actions Detrimental last year:
“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.”
Therefore, Connor may find it easier to ascend within the Cup series more quickly than SVG, given his prior experience with various types of American oval tracks. For example, he achieved a fourth-place finish in the Xfinity Series at Kansas (an oval) and a twelfth at Homestead, among others.
