Connor Zilisch has won in every kind of car he’s competed in—a road racing phenom who hoisted a 24 Hour of Daytona class winner’s trophy before he could get his legal driver’s license.
Last year he transitioned to fulltime NASCAR racer and won a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series-best 10 races and set a record with 18 consecutive top-five finishes, capping the season with Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors as the championship runner-up.
It’s quite a lead-in to 2026, when Zilisch will now contend in his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. He makes his full-time debut in Sunday’s DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway, a place he recalls coming four years ago as a fan, not even knowing anyone in the garage area well enough to secure a pit pass.
A generational-talent, Zilisch faces not only the challenge of competing in the sport’s greatest race against its greatest talents, but he also competes under high and heavy expectation that come with his all his past success.
But the perpetually good-natured 19-year-old Charlotte native smiles gratefully and promises his goal is to finish all the laps and hopefully come away with a top-10 in his debut in the Great American Race. Should he win, Zilisch would become the youngest winner in DAYTONA 500 history.
“I appreciate the excitement, I think it’s really cool that there’s a lot of people excited to watch how I’m going to do this season, whether it’s fans or media,” said Zilisch, who finished 27th in the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener at Daytona, after being collected in a late-race multi-car accident.
“I do think it sometimes gets a little outlandish… a lot of people maybe expecting a lot of me in my first year. I don’t think people realize how big of a jump it is from Saturday to Sunday. But I try not to pay too much attention to it. I know what my personal goals are throughout the year. I know what I want to accomplish and my long-term goals. I find it cool mostly.”
His approach is unfailingly thoughtful.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen out of your control here. And I think for me, I’m just most excited to enjoy it all, whether it’s media day today. Usually I dread these things, but I came in with a positive mindset today that I’m going to have fun and I’m going to enjoy it, and I think that goes for the entire weekend.”
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