Connor Zilisch

Connor Jackson Zilisch (born July 22, 2006) is an American professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing, part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the Nos. 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for Spire Motorsports.

After an early career in karts, culminating in winning the Karting Academy Trophy in 2020, Zilisch began racing sports cars in 2021, adding stock cars to his program the next year. Zilisch broke onto the racing scene in 2024, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class in his first attempts and winning in his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start in September at Watkins Glen International, less than two months after his eighteenth birthday. In 2025, he competed full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, scoring ten wins and a record-breaking eighteen consecutive top-five finishes. He won Rookie of the Year that year, and reached the championship race at Phoenix Raceway, finishing second in the championship. In 2026, he was full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing. In 2028, Zilisch will join Hendrick Motorsports.

Racing career Early career Karting Zilisch started competing in go-karts at the age of five in 2011. He would spend ten years racing karts before moving up to cars in 2021. Zilisch started primarily in the United States until 2017, when he won the Mini Rok World Championship in South Garda, Italy, competing against more than 160 other competitors from 33 different countries. He returned to Europe to race primarily in the FIA OKJ class in 2018–2020 and made the "A" final in the OKJ World Championship in both 2019 and 2020. In 2020, he also became the first ever American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, a three-race series where competitors from all over the world all race on identical equipment.

Mazda MX-5 Global Cup and Trans-Am

Zilisch began racing cars in early 2021 with the Sports Car Club of America in the Spec Miata class and quickly began showing strong results, setting three track records and reaching the podium multiple times. At the SCCA Run-offs in Indianapolis that year, Zilisch finished third out of ~ ninety cars in the competitive Spec Miata class and shortly thereafter was named the SCCA Jim Fitzgerald Rookie of the Year. Zilisch also competed in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout competition in late 2021, winning the $110,000 scholarship, which would fund his participation in the series in 2022. In late 2021, Zilisch also ran his first Trans Am TA2 race at Virginia International Raceway, earning pole position while shattering the track record as a rookie driver. He led the race early until a mechanical issue forced him to retire early; however, his performance in the race led to his being invited to race TA2 full-time for Silver Hare Racing in 2022.

In the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, Zilisch recorded four wins in the season and nearly won the championship in the last race of the season at Road Atlanta. In that race, Zilisch needed to finish at least three spots ahead of Jared Thomas to win the $250K championship prize and on track he did that, finishing sixth to Thomas' ninth-place finish, however a post-race penalty to Alex Bachoura (who finished in between Zilisch and Thomas) ended up moving Thomas up one position and handing him the championship. Zilisch won $85K for second place and was also named the Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year for 2022.

IMSA On December 12, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch will drive a Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD Pro class in the 2025 Rolex 24 At Daytona alongside Shane van Gisbergen, Ben Keating and Scott McLaughlin in a joint partnership between Trackhouse Racing and TF Sport. They finished ninth in class, one lap down. On December 16, 2025, Zilisch was confirmed to enter in the GTP class for Cadillac Whelen, driving a Cadillac V-Series.R in the 2026 24 Hours of Daytona. With teammates Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti, they finished second overall, just 1.5 seconds behind the winner, Porsche Penske Motorsport.

Late Models Pro Late Models In June 2022, Zilisch would make his Pro Late Model debut in the No. 4 for Setzer Racing and Development at Orange County Speedway with the Carolina Pro Late Model Series where he would win the pole, and led all the laps en route to his first career victory in an Asphalt Late Model overall and Pro Late Model.

For 2023, Zilisch would return to the No. 25 for Rackley W.A.R. running select events in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour. He would win at Ace Speedway in his second start of the season, holding off Caden Kvapil to do so.

Late Model Stock Cars In 2022, Zilisch began racing late-model cars to prepare himself for a potential path to NASCAR. He would start to run Late Model Stock Cars in the No. 57 for Carroll Speedshop. He scored two wins during the year, both coming at Hickory Motor Speedway, as well as two other podium positions.

For 2023, Zilisch returned to the No. 57 for Carroll Speedshop on a part-time basis in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. At Hickory Motor Speedway during the Throwback 276, Zilisch ran a throwback to the No. 98 Dogecoin car driven in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014 by his current driver coach Josh Wise.

ARCA Menards Series 2023 On August 14, 2023, it was announced Zilisch would make his ARCA Menards Series debut in the No. 28 for Pinnacle Racing Group at that weekend's race at Watkins Glen. Zilisch qualified second behind Corey LaJoie and then went on to dominate the race, leading 34 out of the race's 42 laps, and barely lost the race after getting moved in the final corner of the final lap from the lead by Jesse Love going on to still finish second despite an ill-handling car affected by a broken front sway bar. Zilisch and his crew celebrating after winning the General Tire 150 at Dover Motor Speedway.

2024

On March 18, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would return to Pinnacle Racing Group to run a full season in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 28 car. In his first start at Five Flags Speedway, he missed practice and qualifying due to being at Circuit of the Americas for the NASCAR Truck Series race, and was replaced by Luke Fenhaus. Zilisch was able to make the race but struggled with mechanical issues throughout the event and finished fourth, two laps down. In his next race at Dover Motor Speedway, Zilisch took advantage of the leader's mishaps and led the final 42 laps of the event to earn his first career win in both the main and East Series. At the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Zilisch qualified fourth and ran in the top three throughout the event, but did not have the car to beat the eventual race winner William Sawalich, he finished third behind Isabella Robusto. He rebounded the following race at Flat Rock Speedway, where he would go on to obliterate the competition, winning the pole and leading every lap of the race to earn his second career win. He continued with a hot streak of victories, winning the next two East Series events at Iowa Speedway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, both in dominating fashion. At Michigan, his first start on an intermediate racetrack, Zilisch passed Tanner Gray late in the event and held off a charging Andrés Pérez de Lara in the final laps to score another victory, continuing his winning streak of 4–4 in the ARCA Series.

NASCAR On January 11, 2024, Zilisch signed a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing as a developmental driver. His developmental program in 2024 and 2025 consists of races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as ARCA, CARS Tour, Trans-Am, and IMSA.

Craftsman Truck Series 2024: Ups, and downs at COTA, poles, and strong showings

On March 15, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a three-race schedule for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 truck, including a race at Homestead–Miami Speedway in a coordinated entry fielded by Spire. He made his debut at Circuit of the Americas, shocking the field after winning the pole in his first career start. On the first lap, Zilisch locked up his brakes and ultimately missed the first corner, losing the lead and falling to the back. He battled through many mid-race struggles, including penalties and spins. He would pass the most trucks throughout the entire race, and eventually made it back to the top five in the final stages. He was unable to catch the eventual winner Corey Heim and settled for a fourth-place finish in his series debut. Following his performance, Spire added three more races to Zilisch's schedule, which includes Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville.

2025: Part-time

On August 4, 2025, after it was announced that Kaden Honeycutt would be released from Niece Motorsports, it was announced that Zilisch would compete in the race at Watkins Glen for the team. Later on, Zilisch drove the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports at the Charlotte Roval.

O'Reilly Auto Parts Series 2024: Great showings, winning on debut

On March 12, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a four-race slate with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 car. Following his 18th birthday on July 22, Zilisch competed in the races at Watkins Glen, Kansas, Homestead–Miami, and the season finale at Phoenix. At Watkins Glen, Zilisch won the pole, led the most laps, and saved enough fuel in two overtime restarts for the win in his Xfinity Series debut, becoming the first driver in over three years (Ty Gibbs at the 2021 Daytona RC race) to win in their Xfinity Series debut.

2025: First full-time season, multiple injuries, and multiple victories

On August 7, 2024, it was announced on The Dale Jr. Download that Zilisch would drive the No. 88 car for JRM full-time in 2025. After a slow start to the season, including finishes outside the top 25 at Daytona and Atlanta, Zilisch won his first race of the year at Circuit of the Americas. At the spring Talladega race, Zilisch was spun from the lead by Jesse Love down the track where the car hit the inside wall head-on. Zilisch complained about his back but exited under his own power. The back injury he suffered forced him to sit out and be replaced by Kyle Larson at Texas, who won in double overtime. Zilisch returned with back-to-back second place finishes at Charlotte and Nashville. Following the Nashville race, crew chief Mardy Lindley was suspended for one race for two unsecured lug nuts. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. as his substitute crew chief, Zilisch scored his second win of the season at Pocono. With two-laps to go in Chicago, teammate Shane van Gisbergen would push Zilisch into the wall to win. The next week, Zilisch would beat van Gisbergen at Sonoma. The following week, he won at Dover, after the race was shortened by 66 laps. He also won the next weekend at Indianapolis, earning JRM their 100th-career victory in the series. thumb Two weeks later, Zilisch won at Watkins Glen after a late red flag delayed the race. While exiting his car during the celebration in victory lane, Zilisch lost his footing on the driver's window sill after exiting and fell to the floor head-first. Safety members responded quickly, and he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors determined that while CT scans returned no sign of head injuries, he suffered a broken collarbone. Zilisch would race the next event at Daytona, which was conveniently after a week off, but the injury forced him to be replaced at the first caution. Parker Kligerman took over the car and won the race, with Zilisch receiving the credit as the driver who started the car. After recovering from the injury, Zilisch returned and won at Portland and the series' return to Gateway to secure the Regular Season Championship with nine wins on the season.

In the playoffs, Zilisch recorded his tenth and final race win of the year at the Charlotte Roval. Zilisch would advance to the Championship 4 after the fall Talladega race, where he finished 23rd, snapping his record-breaking streak of eighteen-straight top-five finishes in the series, dating back to Charlotte in May. Zilisch led late in the final race at Phoenix Raceway, but was passed for the race lead and the championship by Jesse Love, and subsequently by Aric Almirola for second place. Zilisch finished in third place in the race and second in the championship.

2026: Part-time with JR Motorsports

On September 24, 2025, it was announced that Zilisch will drive the No. 1 car part-time for the 2026 season, sharing the ride with Carson Kvapil.

Cup Series 2025: Part-time basis with Trackhouse

On January 23, 2025, it was announced that Zilisch would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas, driving the No. 87 for Trackhouse with sponsorship from Red Bull. Zilisch would crash into his teammate Daniel Suárez while trying to avoid the spinning latter. As a result, Zilisch would DNF in his debut. It was later announced that he would compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he finished 23rd after getting caught up in a three-car wreck on lap 113. On June 4, it was announced that Zilisch would compete at Atlanta and Watkins Glen. At Atlanta, he finished with a career best eleventh place. At Watkins Glen, Zilisch qualified in 27th, but withdrew following his injury from the previous day.

2026: Full-time with Trackhouse

On August 23, 2025, Trackhouse announced that Zilisch signed a multi-year contract to drive for Trackhouse in 2026. On November 7, 2025, it was revealed that Zilisch would run the No. 88, while Shane van Gisbergen would run the No. 97. He started the 2026 season with a 33rd-place finish at the 2026 Daytona 500. Zilisch scored his first top-ten at Sonoma, where he finished in seventh.

2027: Final year at Trackhouse

The 2027 season will be Zilisch's final year with Trackhouse.

Personal life Zilisch was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the youngest of three children. Zilisch's mother, Janice Kerr, was a gymnast on the Canadian women's national artistic gymnastics team and a member of the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships tenth-place team. She was the NCAA Southeast Region all-around champion in 1987 and 1988. Kerr was named the Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990, one of only four Florida Gators to have won the award.

Zilisch, when not driving himself, is a driver coach to younger drivers in the Karting ranks. He was announced as a client of KHI Management in 2021, but subsequently parted ways with the company in early 2023. Zilisch also spots for drivers including Stefan Parsons and Ross Chastain.

In media Zilisch runs a YouTube channel with fellow drivers Jesse Love and Daniel Dye called "Shake N Bake Sports". In 2026, Zilisch joined the NASCAR on The CW crew as a guest analyst at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Resorts 250.

Motorsports career results

Career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Points Position 2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup Hixon Motor Sports 2 0 1 1 360 32nd Trans-Am TA2 Series Nitro Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 NC† 2022 Mazda MX-5 Cup Hixon Motor Sports 14 4 7 10 3600 2nd Trans-Am TA2 Series Silver Hare Racing 11 0 3 5 125 13th Carolina Pro Late Model Series Setzer Racing and Development 1 1 1 1 0 30th 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Hixon Motor Sports 10 4 7 8 2920 8th Trans-Am Showtime Motorsports 1 1 1 1 110 15th Trans-Am TA2 Series Silver Hare Racing 13 5 7 8 886 4th CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour Carroll Speed Shop 8 0 0 2 146 22nd CARS Pro Late Model Tour Rackley W.A.R. 5 1 3 5 157 11th ARCA Menards Series Pinnacle Racing Group 1 0 1 1 44 68th 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup BSI Racing 8 1 6 6 2060 13th CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour Pinnacle Racing Group 6 1 1 3 139 24th ARCA Menards Series 8 5 7 7 338 15th ARCA Menards Series East 8 4 7 7 436 2nd ARCA Menards Series West 1 1 1 1 48 37th IMSA SportsCar Championship – LMP2 Era Motorsport 5 2 4 4 1597 14th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Spire Motorsports 5 0 1 1 0 NC† Henderson Motorsports 1 0 0 0 NASCAR Xfinity Series JR Motorsports 4 1 3 3 160 33rd 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD Pro Trackhouse by TF Sport 1 0 0 1 243 35th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Niece Motorsports 1 0 0 1 0 NC† Spire Motorsports 1 0 1 1 NASCAR Xfinity Series JR Motorsports 32 10 20 23 4034 2nd NASCAR Cup Series Trackhouse Racing 3 0 0 0 0 NC† As Zilisch was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts Ref 2025 Trackhouse Racing 87 Chevy DAY ATL COA PHO LVS HOM MAR DAR BRI TAL TEX KAN CLT NSH MCH MXC POC ATL CSC SON DOV IND IOW GLN RCH DAY DAR GTW BRI NHA KAN ROV LVS TAL MAR PHO 47th 0 2026 88 DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSH MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -*

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 2026 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 32 33

O'Reilly Auto Parts Series NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Pts Ref 2024 JR Motorsports 88 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO COA RCH MAR TEX TAL DOV DAR CLT PIR SON IOW NHA NSH CSC POC IND MCH DAY DAR ATL GLN BRI KAN TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 33rd 160 2025 DAY ATL COA PHO LVS HOM MAR DAR BRI CAR TAL TEX CLT NSH MXC POC ATL CSC SON DOV IND IOW GLN DAY PIR GTW BRI KAN ROV LVS TAL MAR PHO 2nd 4034 2026 1 DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR CAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN DOV CLT NSH POC COR SON CHI ATL IND IOW DAY DAR GTW BRI LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -*

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Pts Ref 2024 Spire Motorsports 7 Chevy DAY ATL LVS BRI COA MAR TEX KAN DAR NWS CLT GTW NSH POC IRP RCH MLW BRI KAN TAL MAR PHO 82nd 0 Henderson Motorsports 75 Chevy HOM 2025 Niece Motorsports 45 Chevy DAY ATL LVS HOM MAR BRI CAR TEX KAN NWS CLT NSH MCH POC LRP IRP GLN RCH DAR BRI NHA 86th 0 Spire Motorsports 7 Chevy ROV TAL MAR PHO 2026 71 DAY ATL STP DAR CAR BRI TEX GLN DOV NHA BRI KAN CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -* 77 CLT NSH MCH COR LRP NWS IRP RCH

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

ARCA Menards Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.) ARCA Menards Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pts Ref 2023 Pinnacle Racing Group 28 Chevy DAY PHO TAL KAN CLT BLN ELK MOH IOW POC MCH IRP GLN ISF MLW DSF KAN BRI SLM TOL 68th 44 2024 DAY PHO TAL DOV KAN CLT IOW MOH BLN IRP SLM ELK MCH ISF MLW DSF GLN BRI KAN TOL 15th 338

ARCA Menards Series East ARCA Menards Series East results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts Ref 2024 Pinnacle Racing Group 28 Chevy FIF DOV NSV FRS IOW IRP MLW BRI 2nd 436

ARCA Menards Series West ARCA Menards Series West results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pts Ref 2024 Pinnacle Racing Group 28 Chevy PHO KER PIR SON IRW IRW SHA TRI MAD AAS KER PHO 37th 48

CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.) CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts Ref 2022 Carroll Speedshop 28 Chevy CRW HCY GPS AAS FCS LGY DOM HCY ACE MMS NWS TCM ACE SBO CRW N/A N/A 2023 57 SNM FLC HCY ACE NWS LGY DOM CRW ACE TCM WKS AAS SBO TCM CRW 22nd 146 98 HCY 2024 Pinnacle Racing Group 28 Chevy SNM HCY AAS OCS ACE TCM LGY DOM CRW HCY NWS ACE WKS FLC SBO TCM NWS 24th 139 2026 JR Motorsports 8 Chevy SNM WCS NSV CRW ACE LGY DOM NWS HCY AND FLC TCM NPS SBO -* -*

CARS Pro Late Model Tour (key) CARS Pro Late Model Tour results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Ref 2023 Rackley W.A.R. 25 Chevy SNM HCY ACE NWS TCM DIL CRW WKS HCY TCM SBO TCM CRW 11th 157

Carolina Pro Late Model Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.) Carolina Pro Late Model Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Ref 2022 Setzer Racing and Development 4 Chevy SNM FCS HCY AAS DIL MMS OCS CCS HCY HCY AND OCS HCY 30th N/A

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position. Races in italics indicate fastest race lap in class. Results are overall/class) Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rank Points Ref 2024 Era Motorsport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY SEB WGL MOS ELK IMS PET 14th 1597 2025 Trackhouse by TF Sport GTD Pro Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 DAY SEB LGA DET WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS PET 35th 243 2026 Cadillac Whelen GTP Cadillac V-Series.R Cadillac LMC55R 5.5 L V8 DAY SEB LBH LGA DET WGL ELK IMS PET * *

Trans-Am TA2 Series (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) Year Team Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rank Points 2021 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang SEB ATL LGA LIM MDO ROA BRA NAS WGL WGL VIR COA NC 0 2022 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro SEB CLT ATL LGA SON LIM MDO ROA NAS WGL VIR COA 13th 125 2023 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro SEB NLA ATL LIM DET DET MDO ROA NSH WGL GAT VIR COA 4th 886

Mazda MX-5 Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position. Races in italics indicate fastest race lap in class. Results are overall/class)

Season still in progress