TC Daily Pit Stop: Zilisch Set for COTA Cup Debut with Aspirations of Setting Youngest Cup Winner Record
TC Daily Pit Stop: Wednesday, February 26th, 2025
Zilisch Set for COTA Cup Debut; Sights on Youngest Cup Winner Record
At just 18 years old, Connor Zilisch is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Trackhouse Racing’s young phenom racer, who won in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut a season ago, says he feels more confident in driving the NASCAR Cup Series car than he did the Xfinity car.
“Honestly, I feel like the cup car is more like what I'm used to," Zilisch said in a Tuesday media availability. "You know, racing, sports cars, I've run a sequential gearbox in a TA car, and MX5 Cup car. You know, I think the build of the car is a lot more like I'm used to. It's a stiffer platform, it's an independent rear suspension. Everything is more like [what] I'm used to racing sports cars."
While he’s going into the race with no expectations, Zilisch does have Joey Logano’s record as the youngest NASCAR Cup Series winner in mind. The driver says his debut being this early in the season was partially to give him a chance at the record.
“I want to try and become the youngest cup series winner. To do that, I have to race as soon as possible and get it in before I turn 19,” Zilisch said. “I wanted to at least give myself a shot at that. 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."
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