Connor Zilisch ready for NASCAR oval debut after signing JRM deal
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Connor Zilisch has been riding a big wave of momentum this year that became even bigger ahead of his NASCAR oval debut this weekend.
Zilisch will race full-time for JRM in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025.
“I am so grateful and can’t wait to show their trust in me is warranted. It is mind-blowing to think that I will drive for JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who is one of my heroes. I’m ready to put in the work,” he said.
The 18-year-old, as of July 22, signed the deal before even making a NASCAR national series start on an oval.
That will soon change, as Zilisch will make his NASCAR oval debut this weekend. He will wheel the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday night at Richmond Raceway.
Zilisch is here because of his immense talent. After impressing Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks on the track, Marks signed him to a driver development deal last year.
“This kid is an amazing talent who we wanted to be a part of the Trackhouse family. We are going to go slow with Connor and make sure he’s fully prepared as he advances in what we believe will be a long racing career,” Marks said.
Marks noted Zilisch’s road-racing prowess – something the young driver has further affirmed as a major part of LMP2 class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year.
In his first NASCAR race, at Circuit of the Americas in March, Zilisch won the pole with a lap that blistered everyone else. Despite going off-course in the very first turn and having some hiccups in the race, he still placed sixth in stage two and finished fourth overall.
MORE: Connor Zilisch is the real deal. As you may know now.
Then, after COTA, Zilisch doubled his slate of Truck races with Spire to six, including Richmond. He will work with veteran crew chief Brian Pattie in those races.
“It’s pretty hard not to be amped up when you get three more races with someone as talented as Connor Zilisch,” Pattie said. “He’s shaping to be up to be a generational talent. And to say he was impressive at COTA would be an understatement. He’s proven that he can drive anything on four wheels. We’re definitely looking forward to having him back in our truck at Richmond.”
Zilisch will ascend to the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen. He will also race in the Xfinity Series at Kansas in September, Homestead-Miami in October and Phoenix in November.
There is so much hype behind him with so few oval starts. However, the small sample size is impressive.
“I’ve been running well on the ovals and learning quickly. My goal for the year has been to continue to prepare myself each week for the next oval, most of which I’ve never seen before,” Zilisch said.
In the ARCA Menards Series, Zilisch is undefeated this season. He won at Dover in April, Iowa in June and Lucas Oil Raceway Park in July.
Zilisch’s biggest competitor has been fellow young phenom William Sawalich.
While Zilisch won at Dover at the expense of Sawalich wrecking, he outdueled him in Iowa and at LOIRP.
At Iowa, Zilisch was on hot Sawalich’s heels before taking the lead from him on lap 49. Zilisch held the lead for 84 consecutive laps but still had to fend him off on six different restarts to secure the win.
At LOIRP, Zilisch led 63 laps before Sawalich passed him during a lap 107 of 200 restart. Then, Zilisch regained control on a lap 179 restart, pushing Sawalich to third.
Both drivers will compete Saturday night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway. Zilisch says that experience at LOIRP will help but Richmond is unique.
“It is somewhat similar to IRP, and you can draw comparisons from Pensacola. But for the most part, nothing is quite like Richmond. The biggest thing I have focused on is my preparation. I wanted to make sure when I show up on Saturday, I know what I’m getting myself into,” he said.
Zilisch is ready despite is relative inexperience on ovals.
“Richmond will be a good challenge for me. I’ve ran a lot of ovals in ARCA and late models, so I feel like I’ve been preparing myself all year. We were good in the truck at COTA, but the truck will race a lot differently on an oval. I am excited to get out there,” Zilisch said.
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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