19-year-old Connor Zilisch is already a class winner at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, taking his first LMP2 victory two years ago. This weekend he makes his GTP debut with the Whelen Cadillac team and is having a great time fighting for a podium spot.
But in just a few weeks, he will begin his first full-time season as a NASCAR Cup driver, driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. The rising star has won in almost everything he has raced in, taking victories in ARCA, Mazda MX-5 Cup, CARS Tour, Trans-Am, IMSA and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Going back even further, he is a former winner of the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. Zilisch also proved to be one of the few drivers capable of battling Shane van Gisbergen on the road/street courses.
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Zilisch’s rapid rise has many calling him a generational talent, and ten wins as a NOAPS rookie in 2025 certainly supports that claim. There was even a stretch where he won seven of the eight races he contested last summer, and only lost the crown due to the one-race championship format that NASCAR did away with for the upcoming season.
On Saturday he joined the Peacock Pitbox during the Rolex 24 broadcast and was asked where his racing ambitions would take him. The Red Bull athlete will drive for Cadillac at this weekend’s Rolex 24, and the brand is just weeks away from joining the F1 grid. We’ve already seen Colton Herta give up a solid career in IndyCar to pursue his dream of getting a seat on the team’s Formula 1 team in the future.
“If my first few years in NASCAR were very successful, it’s not something I would say no to,” Zilisch remarked when asked. “I love F1 but I love what I do in NASCAR.”
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He has made it clear that while he would accept such an offer, he remains focused on stock car racing as he takes a big step toward the sport’s highest level.
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