NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch secured a full-time Cup Series drive for the 2026 season with Trackhouse Racing.
The 19-year-old has seen a rapid rise up the NASCAR ladder, working his way through truck racing to a spectacular year in the Xfinity Series.
He has seven wins in the Xfinity Series this season, an impressive number in his first full-time year at the lower-level racing series.
His impressive campaign has led to a multi-year agreement with Trackhouse, replacing fan favorite Daniel Suarez in the Chevrolet.
Team owner Justin Marks praised Zilisch for his ascension and compared his rise to Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen, who is the four-time reigning champion in the racing series.
“All of those things together he’s demonstrated in a way that I’ve not ever seen a teenager be able to do before,” Marks said.
“When you recognize that you’ve got that in a package, you have to run with it. We’ve seen it.
“I mean, Max Verstappen, and there’s been other drivers that have gotten sort of thrown into the top level at a young age, and all of those guys kind of demonstrate the same thing.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think that he’d be successful, if we didn’t think that he’d be able to win as a rookie.
“We’re just thrilled to be able to have him.”
Verstappen had a similarly quick rise in Formula 1, entering the top flight of motorsport as a teenager — joining Toro Rosso at 17 years old.
He impressed during his rookie season and eventually made his way to the senior Red Bull team. The teenager was at a top-flight team at such a young age and was thriving.
Verstappen is not the only driver that Zilisch is getting compared to, as NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has thrown out legendary American racing names.
“I mean, the only thing I think it’s close to is probably Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson,” Earnhardt said of Zilisch.
“So he might be even more of a comet … he might be even more rare than that, because I don’t know, man, if you all get a chance to spend time around him, you’ll realize how mature he is, and I think there’s probably a lot of parents in the room that would be amazed at his level of maturity.”
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