DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch has never raced on an oval before heading to Daytona International Speedway for the first time in 2022.
Zilisch was already a go-kart pro at age 15 and was coaching a kid 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 cool opportunity this would be,'” Zilisch recalled during Wednesday’s Daytona 500 media day. “I traded my salary for a ticket to the game and a place to stay that night.”
Four years later, Zilisch will change paint on the famed 2.5-mile oval during Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“It’s really been a full circle for me,” he said.
Now Zilisch is thrust into the spotlight as a 19-year-old phenom who watched in incognito as 23-year-old rookie Austin Cindric won the “22 500” race.
“I was sitting in the stands. I didn’t even know enough people to get a pit pass,” Zilisch said. “It just goes to show how quickly life can change…how crazy things can happen in life.”
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Zilisch’s meteoric rise in the racing world was no accident. He mastered every level he entered, qualifying for the Cup Series full-time before most drivers could rent a car.
His resume suggests he won’t just compete in Sunday’s Daytona 500 — he can race as well.
Yet despite the lofty expectations, Zilisch’s goals were modest.
“We have to be realistic; this is my first start,” he said. “I appreciate the excitement. There are a lot of people excited to watch me play this season, both fans and media, which is really cool.
“I do think it can get a little weird at times.”
Zilisch himself bears some of the blame.
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Behind that baby face lurked a ruthless finisher who made a habit of parking in Victory Lane.
At the age of 14, he won the Karting Academy Trophy in 2020. By 2021, he’s switching to sports cars. For 2022, he added cars to his inventory.
In 2024, Zilisch had his breakthrough. In his first attempt, Zilisch competed in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring for the winning team. He won five of eight races in the ARCA Menards Series and won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race less than two months after his 18th birthday.
A victory at Watkins Glen in September brought 10 wins to the 2025 season, including an Xfinity-record 18th consecutive top-five finish.
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Zilisch’s skill and composure 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. “That’s probably something we need to look into because they’re a great kid, mature beyond his age — like, it’s not fair.
“The speed on the track and the composure off the track look cool.”
Zilisch was elegant, polite and well-spoken, and appeared engaged and calm at the media day.
Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson was Zilisch’s childhood idol, and he noticed something different when the two first met.
“There’s definitely something special about him, he’s so energetic and excited about the job,” Johnson said. “At the same time, so far, these moments don’t seem too big.”
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Now comes Zilisch’s biggest test.
On Sunday, he will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the number made famous by Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Trackhouse.
Talent alone cannot sustain Zilisch. Given the inexperience, veteran crew chief Randall Burnett and a strong car were important. So does patience.
Daytona eclipses recent prodigies.
In 2009, Joey Logano was just 19 years old when he made his 500-mile debut. He was in 43rd place after a crash on lap 79. It wasn’t until 2015 that he won the Great American Race.
Kyle Busch was a 20-year-old phenom who finished 38th in his first Daytona 500, a race the 63-time champion was unable to compete in.
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Trevor Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in 2011 at just 20 years old, but never won a Cup Series title again.
Zilisch has already experienced disappointment on the Cup Series learning curve. A crash on his debut in Austin left him last in the 37-car field. A 23rd-place finish at Charlotte and an 11th-place finish at Atlanta showed improvement, but didn’t yet reflect the dominance he showed in Xfinity.
“I don’t think I realized how big of a jump it was from Saturday to Sunday,” he said, referencing the days of Xfinity (now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) and Cup Series races.
Zilisch’s biggest mistake in the NASCAR minor leagues came after the Aug. 10 victory at Watkins Glen. He was celebrating his sixth win of the season when he slipped on the roof and door of his car and broke his collarbone.
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Zilisch had the surgery within 48 hours and won again 13 days later in the Xfinity Wawa 250 at Daytona.
There is still a plate holding the bone in place, but Zilisch’s strength is back to normal.
Only by performing at his best will Zilisch have a chance to become the only teenager to win a NASCAR showcase race.
Speed and success came easily, but Zilisch had never competed on such a big stage. He knows this from experience.
“The Daytona 500 is a different animal,” he said. “Seeing this for the first time was really eye-opening.”