Connor Zilisch is the real deal. As you may know now.
AUSTIN, Texas — Connor Zilisch started up front, fell a lap down, got it back, got spun and recovered to finish fourth at COTA in a stellar NASCAR debut.
All before the end of stage two in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas.
Connor Zilisch finished fourth after placing sixth in stage two but, as you now know, there was a lot more to it.
Zilisch won the pole by nearly a second for Saturday’s race. Then, going into turn one on lap 1, he didn’t make the corner and smoked the tires.
Zilisch dropped outside of the top-10 then had to pit with a tire issue. Once on pit road, the team had to replace a sway bar arm which caused him to lose a lap.
When stage one ended, Zilisch received the free pass and got back on the lead lap. Just a handful of laps into stage two, he drove from 31st to 15th. Then, an incident with Jake Garcia and Chase Purdy punted Zilisch back to 22nd.
Right as he was starting to recover, NASCAR issued Zilisch a drive-through penalty for cutting the course.
Of course, they say if you’re good, it’s easier to be lucky and Zilisch caught a lucky caution just a second or two after he pitted to serve the penalty.
Once off of pit road and up to full speed on a restart to end stage two, Zilisch hung on to a top-15 spot and placed sixth in the stage.
In the final stage, Zilisch was ready to strike. Still, at 17 years old, he still has some development ahead of him as he flat-spotted a tire while passing Ty Majeski for second.
Zilisch dropped back to fourth when a caution fell with four laps to go. He pitted and, again, drove from just outside of the top-25 to finish fourth.
After the race, Zilisch didn’t have much time to hang around. He flew to Pensacola, Fla., to race in the ARCA Menards Series East at Five Flags Speedway.
Saturday proved the sky is the limit for Connor Zilisch. This year, still about three months removed from turning 18 (he turns 18 on July 22), he has:
- Signed a driver development contract with Trackhouse Racing
- Won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class
Zilisch has more starts planned in the Truck Series and four Xfinity Series starts with JR Motorsports after he turns 18:
- Watkins Glen – September 14
- Kansas Speedway – September 28
- Homestead-Miami Speedway – October 26
- Phoenix Raceway – November 9
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com