Connor Zilisch to race NASCAR Cup entry for Trackhouse in 2026
Connor Zilisch will join Trackhouse Racing’s full-time NASCAR Cup Series lineup in 2026 on a multi-year deal.
The team announced the deal Saturday, Aug. 23, at Daytona International Speedway.
Zilisch will replace Daniel Suarez, following the announcement of the Suarez/Trackhouse split at season’s end in July.
Zilisch is the first announced Rookie-of-the-Year contender. No car number was announced at the news conference, but Red Bull and WeatherTech will be sponsors for the racecar.
Suarez has raced for the team since its inception in 2021, serving as the lone driver in its first season. Ross Chastain joined the lineup in the team’s No. 1 entry the following season.
In his five seasons at Trackhouse Racing, Suarez scored his first Cup Series win at the Sonoma Raceway road course in June 2022. His next (and last win to date) came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February 2024.
Suarez has qualified for the playoffs twice in his five seasons at Trackhouse, placing a career-high 10th in points in 2022.
This year, Suarez has earned one Top-5 finish and five Top-10 finishes, with a season-high of second-place at Las Vegas in March.
For Zilisch, the 19-year-old has made three starts in the Cup Series, all in 2025, with Trackhouse. His highest finish was 11th at Atlanta in July.
In his 2025 rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Zilisch has officially amassed seven victories, 13 Top-5 finishes and 15 Top-10 finishes through the first 23 races.
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.