Connor Zilisch’s name has been buzzing among NASCAR Cup Series enthusiasts and drivers due to his impressive performances in the stock car races previously. Having started his NASCAR journey in 2023 with the ARCA Menards Series as a part-time driver and winning seven races in his first full-time season in the next season, Zilisch made his mark.
Advertisement
He debuted in the Craftsman Truck Series the same year with a P4 finish at COTA and stormed to a victory in his first Xfinity race at Watkins Glen. Now ready to make his Cup debut next weekend at COTA, the racing community is abuzz with anticipation.
In a recent engagement with Jeff Gluck on his 12 Questions segment, Zilisch was prompted by a question recommended by Chase Briscoe regarding whether he believes he can outpace the entire Cup field in his debut. Moreover, the new JGR driver was also curious to know about Zilisch’s expectations for racing at the Cup level.
Responding, the 18-year-old driver said, “Do I think I can wear out the field? No. You see other guys come into Cup who are road course ringers — other than (Shane van Gisbergen) — like ex-F1 drivers, and they don’t just go out and dominate.”
“I definitely want to be competitive and run inside the top 10, but wearing out the field is a whole different thing in the Cup Series,” he added.
Zilisch further shared the advice he’s received from his peers, saying, “My friends always tell me, “You’re in for a rude awakening when you go Cup racing. Noah (Gragson) won eight or nine Xfinity races in a season, then went to Cup and struggles to run inside the top 10. What he tells me definitely gets me prepared, as well as Zane [Smith] and Todd [Gilliland.]”
However, given that Zilisch has been particularly good at road courses, he is excited to go to COTA and compete. He acknowledged the challenge posed by the Cup Series, noting it’s a big step up, but he is eager to learn and compete against the very drivers he grew up watching on television.
Zilisch won his Xfinity Series debut race
Though the leap from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series presents a stark escalation in competition, securing a win in one’s debut race in NASCAR’s Tier-2 Series undoubtedly fortifies a driver’s confidence.
Last September, Connor Zilisch exemplified this when he won his debut race at Watkins Glen, in a double-overtime restart to join the elite ranks as only the seventh driver to win his Xfinity Series debut.
Despite a penalty during the race for following Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer through the Bus Stop under a yellow flag — which resulted in a demotion to the rear of the field — Zilisch reclaimed the lead on lap 84 of the 90-lap race and held it to the finish. His Xfinity Series victory followed just a day after he topped the podium at the ARCA General Tire 100 at The Glen.
Furthermore, Zilisch’s previous year’s accomplishments include wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class. He credited the fuel mileage strategies honed in IMSA racing as instrumental in his success in Saturday’s Xfinity race.
As Zilisch gets ready for his NASCAR Cup debut at COTA — a track where he previously secured a fourth-place finish during his Truck Series debut — it remains to be seen how he will adapt to the Next Gen car in this new challenge.
