Trackhouse signs Connor Zilisch to driver development deal
Trackhouse Racing announced a multi-year driver development deal with 17-year-old standout Connor Zilisch.
The deal with will see the 17-year-old enter select CARS Tour, ARCA, Trans Am and IMSA races, as well as NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series races in 2024 and 2025.
Zilisch turns 18 in July. He is set to compete in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events this year, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks spoke highly of Connor Zilisch. He said, “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.”
Zilisch won the top prize in the Mazda MX-5 Cup scholarship in 2021. He then finished second in points as a rookie in 2022, then won four of the 10 races last year.
Last year, Zilisch dominated the Trans-Am Series TA2. He won five of the 13 races he entered, including October 7 at Virginia International Raceway when he led flag-to-flag and won by 46 seconds – impressing Marks.
Zilisch also won a CARS Pro Late Model Tour race at Ace Speedway in May. Then, in his ARCA Menards Series debut in August at Watkins Glen, he led 34 of 42 laps before finishing second.
Zilisch joins Shane van Gisbergen and Zane Smith in the developmental pipeline Trackhouse Racing has entering 2024.
SVG will race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time for Kaulig Racing. Smith will race in the Cup Series full-time for Spire Motorsports.
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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