NASCAR Chevy driver Connor Zilisch, just 18 years old, is one of the favorites for the forthcoming Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 2nd, 2025. Zilisch is already an accomplished road racer and should be right at home on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course in the heart of Texas, and if he beats the rest of the field to the line, he’ll be the youngest driver to win in the division’s history.
Zilisch will drive the No. 87 NASCAR Chevy in his first Cup Series start this weekend. The race car is fielded by Trackhouse Racing, and Zilisch is aware that all eyes are on him heading into COTA, according to a report from NASCAR.com, but he isn’t letting it daunt him.
“I want to try and become the youngest Cup Series winner, and to do that, I have to race as soon as possible and get it in before I turn 19,” Zilisch said during a media event in North Carolina. “So, you know, I wanted to at least give myself a shot at that. So that was definitely part of my thinking. And honestly, I don’t feel like there’s anything that tells me that I’m not ready to race on a road course on Sunday.”
Connor Zilisch – who’s racing fulltime in the Xfinity Series this year after winning without a fulltime ride last year – gave credit to fellow Xfinity racer and defending champion, Justin Allgaier, for giving him pointers throughout his journey.
“Justin Allgaier, he’s a good example,” Zilisch said. “Even the last two races, I have gone to him and said, ‘Hey, you think what I did was, you know, wrong?’ And he’s a great person to lean on as a veteran of the sport and super talented. […] But you know, at the end of the day, you just got to do it on the race track. And no matter what people tell you, if you don’t apply it, it doesn’t matter.”
Zilisch’s teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, is favored to win the Cup Series race at COTA with odds of +500. Zilisch isn’t far behind, favored at +550, meaning he’s already a threat – and he hasn’t even hit the track yet. The green flag is scheduled to fall at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.
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