Connor Zilisch is set to join the Cup Series this season and compete among the sport’s elite. He will take command of the No. 88 Chevrolet and partner with road course specialist Shane van Gisbergen, a driver who knows him well.
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The pair squared off in numerous Xfinity Series battles, engaging in fierce wheel-to-wheel racing as they traded wins. They were teammates at JR Motorsports throughout the 2025 season and now reunite at Trackhouse Racing for the 2026 Cup Series campaign.
Van Gisbergen fully understands the depth of talent the young driver possesses. During a recent conversation with Speedcafe, he shared his perspective on Zilisch competing at the Cup Series level. When asked whether he expects Zilisch to match his performance in the Cup Series, SVG did not hesitate: “Oh, of course.”
“It’s hard jumping between the cars as they’re so different, and as I found out last year doing the one-off races, it’s hard with a part-time team. You’re not with the same guys every week. And, the car’s still prepared. Like, it was still exactly the same as my car setup-wise, but it’s just different,” he added.
Elaborating on the learning side of things, he continued, “You’re not used to the car, and again, you jump in, and it’s a short practice straight into qualifying, and once you’re buried in the pack, it’s hard to get through. So, yeah, I’m sure this year racing it every week, he’ll definitely be up the front.”
“He’s an unreal talent… The development of him at his age is so impressive, you know, with the simulators and the amount of racing that they do over here.”
Several instances prove his assessment right. During their Xfinity Series clashes, when Zilisch competed full-time and SVG drove part-time for JR Motorsports, their battles produced memorable finishes. For example, at the Chicago Street Course in July 2025, SVG fended off a late charge from Zilisch to claim victory.
The next week at Sonoma Raceway, Zilisch returned the favor, as he held off SVG in a duel to bag his third NASCAR win and snap SVG’s road course winning streak. Then, at Watkins Glen in August 2025, the two made contact while scrapping for the lead late in the race, sending SVG into a spin that dropped him to the back while Zilisch sailed to victory.
Zilisch has logged just three Cup Series starts thus far and managed only one top-20 finish, which came at Atlanta. He likely needs time to acclimate to Next Gen cars, though he already knows the tracks intimately.
SVG acknowledged, wondering how Zilisch would have fared had he continued down the single-seater path, yet praised what Chevy accomplishes with him as phenomenal young talent. Looking at Zilisch’s progression at just 18 years old, Zilisch is definitely among the best young talents in NASCAR at this point, although he still has considerable learning ahead.
