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Another racing season has come and gone, and none of the end-of-year championship trophies went to a racer who bagged 13 victories in 2024.
That’s right, 13. What makes it perhaps more impressive is the same thing that meant no season-long championship: Connor Zilisch collected those trophies while competing in seven different series — from stock cars to trucks and even prototype sports cars.
And he did much of it before turning 18 midseason.
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Zilisch grew up in the hub of NASCAR stock-car racing — Charlotte, N.C. — and currently lives north of town where many big-league race teams get their mail, Mooresville. In spite of that, his early racing years were spent racing karts or sports cars on road courses.
Zilisch began adding stock cars to his portfolio in 2022 and before long his career goals were redirected. This year, those 13 wins came in NASCAR or NASCAR-affiliated series.
∎ He won one of his four Xfinity Series starts.
∎ Winless but two poles and a fourth-place finish in six Truck Series starts.
∎ Five wins in eight ARCA starts.
∎ Four wins in eight ARCA East starts.
∎ Won his lone ARCA West start, last weekend at Phoenix.
∎ Two wins (Rolex 24 at Daytona, and Sebring) in five IMSA starts co-driving a Le Mans Prototype 2 machine.
By the way, he also won one of two starts on the CARS Late Model Tour, and one of six races in Mazda MX-5 Cup (where he also had two runner-up finishes).
Flexibility might be in his blood. His mom, Janice Kerr, was a 1988 all-American gymnast for the Florida Gators.
While the bouncing around will settle down for Zilisch next year, the spotlight will increase because his name will be attached to one of the biggest figures in NASCAR — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team.
In August, Zilisch was hired to drive one of the four full-time entries, starting in 2025, owned by Earnhardt and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller. He got a head start on that gig late this past season with four starts in JR Motorsports’ No. 88 part-time car.
And he won right out of the box, at Watkins Glen in September. In three subsequent starts on three ovals, he finished fourth twice and 12th.
Connor Zilisch is a young man in a hurry
News-Journal: Are you ever surprised at how well things have gone for you this year?
Connor Zilisch: “Yes, it has surprised me. Every time I go out and outperform where I expect to perform, then yeah, it does surprise me. But still, no matter what, I’m still trying to enjoy it all and soak it all in.
“There’s a lot of cool stuff happening in the future for me … and a lot of races I can dwell on from the past, but the important thing for me is to just stay in the present and remember that you’re only as good as your last race. I’ve definitely surprised myself with everything that’s happened, but at the same time, I’m far from where I want to be.”
N-J: I see you got your first big Talladega crash out of the way last month (in a Truck Series race). How was that?
CZ: “It was Talladega, I was expecting to go out there and wreck. It didn’t hurt my feelings once it happened. It kinda was what I expected. You’re driving around at Talladega and you’re kinda sitting there waiting for someone to make a mistake. It happened. I just let go of the wheel and sat there.”
N-J: Guys who have a season when they win a lot, they still manage to act like they’re shocked to have gotten the win. Why is that?
CZ: “You never know when your last win is coming. It feels as good as the first time, every time. It’s important for me to remember that and always be able to soak in the good moments because in racing you’re gonna lose a lot more than you’re gonna win. You have to appreciate it.”
N-J: I assume you remember your first race as a kid.
CZ: “I was 5 years old. It was a go-kart race in Kershaw, South Carolina. Carolina Motorsports Park on a road course. It started out as a hobby for me. I never thought I’d get to this point, and I never knew the opportunities possible in motorsports.”
NASCAR oval racing is a different animal for Connor Zilisch
N-J: So it was basically all road courses for you growing up?
CZ: “My first oval race wasn’t until 2022. I grew up road racing and that’s what I’m used to. I only became an oval-racing NASCAR driver two years ago. That’s when things changed.”
N-J: What was the biggest adjustment?
CZ: “You can run side by side with someone for 30 laps in an oval race. In road racing, that’ll never happen. Guys race a lot differently. There’s a different level of respect.
“In road racing, you’re not really supposed to use your bumper to pass someone. In oval racing, it’s expected. You have to shift your perspective when you race on an oval and realize guys are gonna do things you wouldn’t expect.”
N-J: Have you gotten accustomed to other drivers angering you on the track, and vice versa?
CZ: “At the end of the day, everybody keeps note of who pissed them off, and they’re gonna make sure to return it one day. It’s a different style and you have to get used to that. It was tough for me at first because I didn’t want to drive like that. But I was forced to at a certain point.”
N-J: How far back does your relationship go with Junior Earnhardt?
CZ: “I met him racing late-models. He comes back and races late-models sometimes, and I met him at a race. We raced against each other a bunch; we were always around each other on the track.
“Obviously he’s a super busy guy, but he’s always down to Earth when you talk to him. Now, as my team owner, he’s someone I can text at any time. He’s just a good guy. It’s cool to have that relationship with him.”
Does Connor Zilisch have any Cup Series plans for 2025?
N-J: Any chance they might mix in a Cup Series race for you next year?
CZ: “If they are, I wouldn’t know about it. I stay out of those conversations. It’s not my job to make those decisions.
“I hope I get the chance to get a Cup start. I want to try to break records while I’m still young, but it’s not my decision to make. I still have to perform if I’m gonna want to race at the next level.”
N-J: If you get a Cup race, or maybe more, next year, would you prefer an oval track or road course?
CZ: “I’d feel more competitive on a road course, but if I’m gonna prepare myself to race in the Cup Series one day, I want to get some starts on an oval.”
N-J: Did you have favorite drivers as a kid?
CZ: “I was never a big fan growing up. I’d watch races on Sunday but can’t say I was a superfan. Mostly I watched sports-car racing and that’s what I grew up wanting to race. Never thought NASCAR was gonna be in my future.
“I watched F1 and was a big Lewis Hamilton fan. I also watched IMSA. With NASCAR, I was a Jimmie Johnson fan. I remember, after four or five championships, he still outworked everyone. That’s what I liked about him.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Connor Zilisch rides with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2025 | NASCAR Q&A
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