Stockcar
Connor Zilisch: From racing prodigy to prodigious early success in NASCAR
Following a record-breaking season on NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts tour, 19-year-old Connor Zilisch enters 2026 as one of the most promising Cup Series prospects in the history of the sport.
How can a driver who hasn’t even started his first full season in NASCAR’s top division be named Driver of the Year? How can a teenage racer win from the pole in his very first Triple-A stock car start and accumulate 10 victories in his rookie season? And how can Connor Zilisch continue to push the limits for Cup rookie honors behind the wheel of the No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet with Trackhouse Racing in 2026?
Zilisch’s success stems greatly from the depth of the team surrounding him. Not to take anything away from the 19-year-old phenom’s natural talent but having three former racers ease his path has certainly paid off for the North Carolinian.
19-year-old Connor Zilisch enters 2026 as a promising Cup Series prospects
© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool
It’s hard to be prepared for a jump this big. But I've got all the tools to be ready and to tackle it. I'm excited, most of all.
Zilisch’s racing progression from a kindergarten karter to preteen international champion was no fluke. Throughout his racing career, Zilisch’s talent has attracted the necessary mentorships to evolve at each step.
Athlete and racer Scott Speed has assisted Zilisch throughout his transition to NASCAR. Speed is custom-tailored for the role.
“Scott's a great guy,” Zilisch said. “I've been able to learn a lot from Scott. Honestly, I can just relate to him because he went to Europe and spent a lot of time over there, then came back and raced NASCAR. He made a lot of mistakes in his career that he doesn't want any of us to make—or for me to make.”
“And also sharing the Red Bull background. He has just been through a lot of the same things that I'm going to go through, and to have someone like that to lean on, it's super helpful for me.”
Connor Zilisch and Scott Speed at Watkins Glen International
© Daylon Barr / Red Bull Content Pool
Speed, a current partner at Wise Optimization, oversees the technical and tactical development of athletes. While Zilisch may seem to be a quick study, Speed doesn’t buy into overnight sensations. “We began working with Connor in 2022,” Speed said. “As in most things, I don’t believe it’s one magic bullet, but a combination of years of work.”
Certainly, Zilisch has honed his craft over the past 12 seasons. Since becoming a Red Bull athlete, he has been energized by the elite sportsmen and women who represent the brand.
“One of the coolest parts about Red Bull, is when you go to events and meet other athletes and get to experience what other athletes at the top of their game are doing,” Zilisch said. “It really motivates you to want to be like them—and want to be great.
“I think sharing that culture with a lot of different humans in a part of the Red Bull brand is one of the coolest parts about it.”
Zilisch isn’t afraid to glean knowledge from his peers or from seasoned veterans. Throughout his stock car journey, he has been astute enough to absorb guidance from other racers, particularly his team owners, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at JR Motorsports and Justin Marks at Trackhouse.
“It's really cool when you can relate to your owner in that way,” Zilisch said. “Sometimes a driver can do things that maybe some owners would think is crazy or not smart or, ‘I wouldn't have done that.’
“But then when you have an owner that used to be a driver, they understand the reasons you do certain things. I think that having that has been very helpful for me.” “I can do anything on the race track and know that Justin's going to understand why I did it. He gets it - and then understands it, the same with Dale.”
Zilisch was initially starstruck by Earnhardt Jr. Once the "man-crush" abated, the relationship flourished. “The first time I met Dale, I was just very nervous,” Zilisch said. “He’s a guy that you hear about all the time. You see him on TV a lot.
“When I started to get to know him, I quickly changed that mindset, treating him as somebody famous to where he was just my friend. Then, I could talk to him about anything.”
Connor Zilisch reacts to the historic No. 88 debut
© Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool
Earnhardt Jr. understands what it means to be under the spotlight. As Zilisch’s own star rose, so did the attention. Earnhardt Jr.'s advice was invaluable. “He told me to go out, have fun and enjoy it,” Zilisch said. “Don't let it not be fun. Don’t let the pressure overcome the fact that you're living out your dream. And that stuck with me.”
Before jumping into the deep end for NASCAR’s biggest event of the season - the Daytona 500 - Zilisch competed in three Cup races last season on three very different venues: Circuit of the Americas, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“That seat time was so valuable,” Zilisch said. “It just kind of gave me a baseline going into this season of what kind of everything looks and feels like.
“It gives me something to study on, for myself, and that is very valuable.”
Last week, Zilisch debuted with his new team and crew chief Randall Burnett at Bowman Gray Stadium in the pre-season Clash. Although he was recruited by Trackhouse two years ago and knows many of the faces, developing the necessary chemistry to thrive early is imperative.
Zilisch is realistic when it comes to assessing the demands and challenges ahead. He finds inspiration in Marks’ mission.
“Obviously, there have been a few teams that have excelled over the past few decades,” Zilisch said. “But Justin is not the kind of guy who wants to start something and not do it right. If he’s going to do it, he wants to do it the right way and he wants to win.
"That's why we've got three great drivers and three great teams that we're going to build around. There are just a lot of hungry, hungry people that want to go out and prove to the entire world that we're not there to race for top tens. We want to go out and win.”