Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch and his first foray into the NASCAR Cup Series world did not go as planned for the 18-year-old racecar driver. Last weekend’s Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas saw Zilish retire from the event after making contact with Daniel Suarez as the latter spun in front of him.
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After his weekend at COTA ended prematurely, despite him winning the Xfinity Series race just a day before his Cup Series debut, Zilisch seemed clueless as to when he would be behind the wheel of a Next Gen car again.
Despite his success in other forms of racing, including the junior nationwide series, the Charlotte, North Carolina native was unwary of his future in the sport, especially during the 2025 season.
Speaking to Kevin Harvick during a recent episode of the former driver-turned-broadcaster’s podcast Harvick Happy Hour, Zilisch touched on how he would like to get more track time under his belt as he continues to cut his teeth in the sport’s top tier before committing to a full-time seat.
He said, “To race in the Cup Series, the car is so different, right? You gotta get experience in the car to be prepared when you make that jump to full time, and you know I don’t want to rush myself at all. I don’t want to go into races I don’t feel like I can compete in.”
“When there are races that I feel like I’ll be ready for, and I can at least go out and not make a fool of myself, I definitely want to get that experience,” he added.
Zilisch elaborated on how the nature of the seventh-generation racer is vastly different from the Xfinity and Truck Series machines, which used to offer chances for rookie drivers to get accustomed behind the wheel before diving into the deep end. However, with the current scenario, that privilege has been taken away given how differently the Next Gen car drives.
Despite one of Zilisch’s primary sponsors, Red Bull from last weekend at COTA, being in favor of the young racer returning to racing sooner rather than later, the Trackhouse Racing driver admitted to being unwary of any such conversations. “I honestly don’t even know!”
Harvick himself touched on the relentless demands of the Cup Series and how a single weekend in the highest echelon can feel different from 38 consecutive weekends in a row. It now remains to be seen when, not if, Connor Zilisch is back on track in NASCAR’s top tier.
