Connor Zilisch
Zilisch atLas Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
Born	Connor Jackson Zilisch (2006-07-22)July 22, 2006 (age 18) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements	First American to ever win theCIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy 202424 Hours of Daytona LMP2 Winner 202412 Hours of Sebring LMP2 Winner 2020CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy Winner 2021Mazda MX-5 Cup Scholarship Winner
Awards	2022Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year
NASCARCup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Car no., team	No. 87 (Trackhouse Racing)
First race	2025EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Austin)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCARXfinity Series career
7 races run over 2 years
Car no., team	No. 88 (JR Motorsports)
2024 position	33rd
Best finish	33rd (2024)
First race	2024Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last race	2025Hard Rock Bet 300 (Homestead)
First win	2024Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last win	2025Focused Health 250 (Austin)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 4 2
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
6 races run over 1 year
2024 position	82nd
Best finish	82nd (2024)
First race	2024XPEL 225 (Austin)
Last race	2024Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 2
ARCA Menards Series career
9 races run over 2 years
Best finish	15th (2024)
First race	2023General Tire 100 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last race	2024Reese's 150 (Kansas)
First win	2024General Tire 150 (Dover)
Last win	2024General Tire 100 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 5 8 2
ARCA Menards Series East career
8 races run over 1 year
Best finish	2nd (2024)
First race	2024Pensacola 150 (Pensacola)
Last race	2024Bush's Beans 200 (Bristol)
First win	2024General Tire 150 (Dover)
Last win	2024Circle City 200 (IRP)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 7 2
ARCA Menards Series West career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	37th (2024)
First race	2024Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 (Phoenix)
First win	2024Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 1 0
Statistics current as of March 2, 2025.

Connor Jackson Zilisch (born July 22, 2006) is an American professionalracing driver. He is signed as adevelopment driver forTrackhouse Racing as of 2025. Under that agreement, Zilisch competes in select races across multiple racing series, including theNASCAR Cup Series (for Trackhouse), theNASCAR Xfinity Series (forJR Motorsports), theCARS Tour, theTrans-Am Series (for Silver Hare Racing), theIMSA SportsCar Championship (for Era Motorsport) and theGlobal MX-5 Cup. He is also aRed Bull athlete.

After an early career inkarts, culminating in winning theKarting Academy Trophy in 2020, Zilisch began racingsports cars in 2021, addingstock cars to his program the next year. Zilisch broke onto the racing scene in 2024, winning the24 Hours of Daytona and the12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class in his first attempts and winning in his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start in September atWatkins Glen, less than two months after his 18th birthday.

Zilisch started competing ingo-kart at the age of five in 2011. He would spend 10 years racing karts before moving up to cars in 2021. Zilisch started primarily in the United States until 2017 when he won the Mini Rok World Championship in South Garda, Italy, competing against more than 160 other competitors from 33 different countries. He returned to Europe to race primarily in the FIA OKJ class in 2018–2020 and made the "A" final in the OKJ World Championship in both 2019 and 2020. In 2020 he also became the first ever American to win theCIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, a three-race series where competitors from all over the world all race on identical equipment.^[1]

Zilisch began racing cars in early 2021 with the Sports Car Club of America in the Spec Miata class and quickly began showing strong results, setting 3 track records and reaching the podium multiple times. At the SCCA Run-offs in Indianapolis that year, Zilisch finished third out of ~ 90 cars in the competitive Spec Miata class and shortly thereafter was named the SCCA Jim Fitzgerald Rookie of the Year. Zilisch also competed in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout competition, in late 2021, winning the $110,000 scholarship which would fund his participation in the series in 2022. In late 2021, Zilisch also ran his first Trans Am TA2 race at Virginia International Raceway earning pole position while shattering the track record as a rookie driver. He led the race early until a mechanical issue forced him to retire early, however, his performance in the race led to his being invited to race TA2 full-time forSilver Hare Racing in 2022.

In the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, Zilisch recorded four wins in the season and nearly won the championship in the last race of the season atRoad Atlanta. In that race, Zilisch needed to finish at least three spots ahead ofJared Thomas to win the $250K championship prize and on track he did that, finishing sixth to Thomas' ninth-place finish, however a post-race penalty toAlex Bachoura (who finished in between Zilisch and Thomas) ended up moving Thomas up one position and handing him the championship. Zilisch won $85K for second place and was also named the Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year for 2022.^[2]

In June 2022 Zilisch would make hisPro Late Model debut in the No. 4 forSetzer Racing and Development atOrange County Speedway with theCarolina Pro Late Model Series where he would win the pole, and led all the laps en route to his first career victory in anAsphalt Late Model overall andPro Late Model.^[3]

For 2023, Zilisch would return to the No. 25 forRackley W.A.R. running select events in theCARS Pro Late Model Tour. He would win atAce Speedway in his second start of the season, holding offCaden Kvapil to do so.^[4]

In 2022, Zilisch began racing late-model cars to prepare him for a potential path to NASCAR. He would start to runLate Model Stock Cars in the No. 57 forCarroll Speedshop. He would score two wins on the year, both coming atHickory Motor Speedway as well as two other podium positions.

For 2023, Zilisch would return to the No. 57 forCarroll Speedshop on a part-time basis in theCARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. AtHickory Motor Speedway during theThrowback 276, Zilisch would run a throwback to the No. 98Dogecoin car driven in theNASCAR Cup Series in2014 by his current driver coachJosh Wise.

On August 14, 2023, it was announced Zilisch would make hisARCA Menards Series debut in the No. 28 forPinnacle Racing Group at that weekend's race atWatkins Glen.^[5] Zilisch qualified second behindCorey LaJoie and then went on to dominate the race, leading 34 out of the race's 42 laps, and barely lost the race after getting moved in the final corner of the final lap from the lead byJesse Love going on to still finish second despite an ill-handling car affected by a broken front sway bar.

On March 18, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would return toPinnacle Racing Group to run a full season in theARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 28 car.^[6] In his first start atFive Flags Speedway, he missed practice and qualifying due to being atCircuit of the Americas for theNASCAR Truck Series race, and was replaced byLuke Fenhaus.^[7] Zilisch was able to make the race but struggled with mechanical issues throughout the event and finished fourth, two laps down. In his next race atDover Motor Speedway, Zilisch took advantage of the leader's mishaps and led the final 42 laps of the event to earn his first career win in both the main and East Series.^[8] At theNashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Zilisch qualified fourth and ran in the top three throughout the event, but did not have the car to beat the eventual race winnerWilliam Sawalich, he finished third behindIsabella Robusto. He rebounded the following race atFlat Rock Speedway, where he would go on to obliterate the competition, winning the pole and leading every lap of the race to earn his second career win.^[9][10] He continued with a hot streak of victories, winning the next two East Series events atIowa Speedway andLucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, both in dominating fashion.^[11][12] At Michigan, his first start on an intermediate racetrack, Zilisch passedTanner Gray late in the event and held off a chargingAndrés Pérez de Lara in the final laps to score another victory, continuing his winning streak of 4–4 in the ARCA Series.^[13]

On January 11, 2024, Zilisch signed a multi-year contract withTrackhouse Racing as a developmental driver. His developmental program in 2024 and 2025 consists of races in theNASCAR Xfinity Series and theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as ARCA,CARS Tour, Trans-Am, and IMSA.^[14]

On March 15, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a three-race schedule forSpire Motorsports in theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 truck, including a race atHomestead–Miami Speedway in a coordinated entry fielded by Spire.^[15] He made his debut atCircuit of the Americas, shocking the field after winning the pole in his first career start, with a lap of 2:11.983, and a speed of 93.012 mph (149.688 km/h), seven tenths faster than the second-place driver ofCorey Heim and was also the track record.^[16] On the first lap, Zilisch locked up his brakes and ultimately missed the first corner, losing the lead and falling to the back.^[17] He battled through many mid-race struggles, including penalties and spins. He would pass the most trucks throughout the entire race, and eventually made it back to the top five in the final stages. He was unable to catch the eventual winnerCorey Heim and settled for a fourth-place finish in his series debut.^[18] Following his performance, Spire added three more races to Zilisch's schedule, which includes Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville.^[19]

On March 12, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a four-race slate withJR Motorsports in theNASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 car.^[20] Following his 18th birthday on July 22, Zilisch will compete in the races at Watkins Glen, Kansas, Homestead–Miami, and the season finale at Phoenix.^[21] AtWatkins Glen, Zilisch won the pole, led the most laps, and saved enough fuel in two overtime restarts for the win in his Xfinity Series debut, becoming the first driver in over three years (Ty Gibbs at the2021 Daytona RC race) to win in their Xfinity Series debut.^[22]

On August 7, 2024, it was announced onThe Dale Jr. Download that Zilisch will drive the No. 88 car for JRM full-time in2025.^[23]

On December 12, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch will drive a Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD Pro class in the 2025Rolex 24 At Daytona alongsideShane van Gisbergen,Ben Keating andScott McLaughlin in a joint partnership betweenTrackhouse Racing andTF Sport.^[24]

On January 23, 2025, it was announced that Zilisch will make hisNASCAR Cup Series debut atCircuit of the Americas, driving the No. 87 for Trackhouse with sponsorship fromRed Bull.^[25] Unfortunately, Zilisch would crashDaniel Suarez while trying to avoid his spinning teammate. As a result, Zilisch would DNF in his debut.

Zilisch, when not driving himself, is a driver coach to younger drivers in the Karting ranks. He was announced as a client ofKHI Management in 2021, but subsequently parted ways with the company in early 2023.^[26] He is good friends with fellow driverJesse Love, who often joke with each other on social media.^[27]

Zilisch's mother, Janice Kerr, was a gymnast onthe Canadian women's national artistic gymnastics team and a member of the1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships tenth-place team. She was theNCAA Southeast Region all-around champion in 1987 and 1988.^[28] Kerr was named theSoutheastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990, one of only fourFlorida Gators to have won the award.^[29]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

(key)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position. Races initalics indicate fastest race lap in class. Results are overall/class)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position. Races initalics indicate fastest race lap in class. Results are overall/class)

* Season still in progress

• Official website
• Official profile at Trackhouse Racing
• Official profile at JR Motorsports
• Connor Zilisch driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• 2006 births
• Living people
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• NASCAR drivers
• Racing drivers from North Carolina
• Sportspeople from Mooresville, North Carolina
• American sportspeople of Canadian descent
• WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
• 21st-century American sportsmen
• TF Sport drivers

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Official website not in Wikidata