DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch had never raced on an oval track when he first visited Daytona International Speedway in 2022.
A karting specialist from the age of 15, Zilisch was coaching a child in Orlando when his parents offered him a contract.
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“‘Hey, do you want to go to the Daytona 500?’ I thought, ‘Man, what a great opportunity that would be,'” Zilisch recalled Wednesday at Daytona 500 media day. “I traded my salary for a ticket to the race and a place to stay the night.”
Four years later, Zilisch will trade paint on the legendary 2.5-mile oval during Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“It really has come full circle for me,” he said.
Now in the spotlight as a 19-year-old phenom, Zilisch was incognito as he watched Austin Cindric win the ’22 500 as a 23-year-old rookie.
“I was sitting in the stands. I didn’t even know enough people to get a pit pass,” Zilisch said. “It shows how quickly life can change…how crazy things can happen in life.”
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Zilisch’s rapid rise up the motor racing ladder is no accident. He mastered every level he entered, winning a full-time Cup Series race before most drivers could rent a car.
His resume suggests he won’t just compete in Sunday’s Daytona 500 — he could compete.
Yet Zilisch’s goals are modest despite outsized expectations.
“We have to be realistic; it’s my first start,” he said. “I enjoy the excitement. It’s really cool that there are a lot of people excited to see how I’m going to do this season, whether it’s the fans or the media.
“I think it gets a little weird sometimes.”
Zilisch himself is partly responsible.
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Behind a babyface is a ruthless closer who has made a habit of parking in Victory Lane.
He won the Karting Academy Trophy in 2020 at the age of 14. In 2021, he turned his attention to sports cars. In 2022, it added stock cars.
Then came a breakthrough in 2024. Zilisch drove for the winning teams at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class in his first attempts. He won five of eight ARCA Menards Series starts and, less than two months after his 18th birthday, won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
That September win at Watkins Glen led to a 10-win 2025 season, highlighted by an Xfinity record 18 consecutive top-five finishes.
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Zilisch’s skills and balance are a powerful combination.
“I don’t know how his family raised him, but they did a really good job,” Trackhouse House Racing teammate Ross Chastain said. “It’s probably something we need to look at because they’ve proven to be great kids, mature beyond their years – it’s not fair.
“The speed on track as well as the composure off track is cool to see.”
Polished, polished and well-spoken, Zilisch was engaged and unfazed during media day.
Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson, Zilisch’s idol as a child, noticed something different the first time the two met.
“There’s definitely something special about him, his energy and his enthusiasm for the job,” Johnson said. “At the same time, so far the moments don’t seem too big.”
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Now comes Zilisch’s biggest test.
On Sunday, he will climb into the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse – the number made famous by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Talent alone will not be enough to carry Zilisch. Veteran crew chief Randall Burnett and a strong car will be important, given his inexperience. Patience too.
Daytona humiliated recent prodigies.
Joey Logano was 19 when he made his 500 debut in 2009. A fall on lap 79 left him 43rd. He only won the Great American Race in 2015.
Kyle Busch was a 20-year-old phenom when he finished 38th in his first start at the Daytona 500, the only race that eluded the 63-time winner.
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Trevor Bayne, just 20 years old, became the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 in 2011, but would never win another Cup Series race.
Zilisch has already experienced disappointments throughout the Cup Series learning curve. A crash during his Austin debut left him last in a 37-car field. Finishes of 23rd in Charlotte and 11th in Atlanta showed progress – but not the dominance he displayed in Xfinity.
“I don’t think I realized what a big jump it was from Saturday to Sunday,” he said, noting the days when Xfinity (now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) and the Cup Series were running.
Zilisch’s biggest misstep in NASCAR’s minor leagues came after his Aug. 10 victory at Watkins Glen. He slipped and fell while standing on the roof and door of his car, breaking his collarbone as he celebrated his sixth victory of the season.
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Zilisch had surgery within 48 hours – and won again 13 days later at Daytona in the Xfinity Wawa 250.
There is still a plate to fix the bone, but Zilisch’s strength has returned to normal.
Only his best will give Zilisch a chance to become the only teenager to win at NASCAR’s premier event.
Speed and success came easily, but Zilisch never raced on such a big stage. He knows this from experience.
“Daytona 500 is a different animal,” he said. “Seeing this for the first time was just eye-opening. »
