Written by Sean McKean, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
Heading into the Watkins Glen weekend, two storylines loom the drivers in the playoff hunt and one, in particular, making their debut. On the latter point, the driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports car is taking the headlines with a stellar 2024. Who is the 18-year-old piloting that Chevrolet this weekend?
Beginnings
Connor Zilisch began his car racing career in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) series in 2021, and he immediately started showing strong results. Racing in the Spec Miata class, he set three track records as well as finished on the podium on multiple occasions.
At the end of the racing year, then 15-year-old Zilisch participated in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout, wherein he won a $110,000 USD (~84,000 BP) scholarship that aided in finding a full-time drive in 2022.
Following the SCCA season, he drove in his first TransAm race in the TA2 class. There, in Virginia, he took pole position with a new track record and even led the early stages of the race before having to retire with a mechanical failure.
Joining Hixon Motor Sports for his first full season in the MX-5 Cup, Zilisch immediately shone through. He took four victories and initially had the championship won, before a post-race penalty for another driver handed the title to rival Jared Thomas. Nonetheless, he still won $85,000 USD in prize money and was named the 2022 MX-5 Rookie of the Year.
Climbing through the oval ranks
In the midst of his MX-5 Cup campaign, Zilisch debuted in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series with Setzer Racing and Development at Orange County Speedway. He stunned the field by winning pole, and leading every lap en route to his first asphalt oval win. Zilisch also partook in CARS Tour competitions from 2022 to 2024, winning two races in two separate competitions.
He continued in a part time Late Model Tour campaign whilst stepping up to the ARCA Menard’s Series – NASCAR’s fourth tier series. On his debut in Watkins Glen, he qualified behind current cup driver Corey Lajoie and led most of the race before a late race caution.
At the end of the overtime, he fell victim to a bump-and-run by Jesse Love. Though Zilisch was denied a win, he secured a second place finish regardless.
A breakout year
Right after the new year in 2024, Trackhouse Racing announced they would sign Zilisch to their development programme. In the contract, there laid promises of drives in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, IMSA, ARCA, and the CARS Tour.
He began the season in glorious fashion, securing two LMP2 class wins in the most prestigious IMSA events: the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
His next event was his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas. In qualifying, Zilisch qualified seven-tenths faster than championship contender Corey Heim and broke the track record in the process. Although the race itself was a difficult affair, he still climbed back up to a fourth place finish.
Aside from one more race at Richmond – which led to a DNF – he mainly focused on the ARCA Menard’s Series with Pinnacle Racing Group. His first four starts of the season were all victories, and it was nearly a fifth recently at Milwaukee but had to settle for second.
What to expect this weekend?
Now, with a 100% top-two finish rate in ARCA, the 18-year-old Trackhouse protégée will debut this weekend at Watkins Glen – the same track he made his stunning ARCA debut. He will drive the #88 Carolina Carports-sponsored Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, a car that has been split this year between Carson Kvapil, Connor Mosack, and Bubba Pollard.
With a full-time drive confirmed for 2025, Zilisch will likely see this weekend as a get-to-know-you opportunity. However, as we saw at Watkins Glen one year ago, being in his first weekend won’t deter him from going for victory and becoming the first driver to win on XFinity debut since Ty Gibbs in 2021.
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