{"id":91925,"date":"2025-08-24T08:34:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T08:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/91925\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T08:34:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T08:34:13","slug":"tearful-connor-zilisch-never-thought-i-would-make-it-anywhere-in-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/91925\/","title":{"rendered":"Tearful Connor Zilisch “never thought I would make it anywhere in racing\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connor Zilisch practically had months to talk himself out of crying during his NASCAR Cup Series introductory press conference<\/a>, which naturally, only increased the odds that it happened anyway.<\/p>\n

For the record, the gracious and affable 19-year-old prodigy lasted four minutes into the moment, flanked on each side by Trackhouse Racing team<\/a> owner Justin Marks<\/a> and General Motors Vice President of Competition Dr. Eric Warren.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored to be joined by you two on the stage,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cYou two believed in me before a lot of people did and gave me this opportunity to be sitting here today and have the opportunity to make that jump to the Cup Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, first of all, thank you to Eric and Justin. I was sitting in the Dick\u2019s parking lot across the street earlier today and just kind of reflecting on the last 15 years of my life and what\u2019s led to this moment and got me to this point. I never thought I would make it anywhere in racing \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Zilisch overcome with emotion
\n \"Connor <\/p>\n

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sean Gardner \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

And with that, Zilisch lost the fight and tears started streaming down his face. He lowered his head, wiped his eyes, and gathered it back up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents have been behind me since day one, through every moment, the good, the bad,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cThere were many times I questioned why I left school, left my friends, to make this commitment to go to the Cup Series and try and chase a dream of racing in motorsports. I never knew what was ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zilisch immediately recollected the moment where Kevin Harvick<\/a> asked his dad, Jim, \u2018what is your plan with this kid,\u2019 and the answer was \u2018go to college.\u2019 Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion and agent who managed Zilisch at the time pushed the family to go all-in on motorsports.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, thank you to Kevin,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cThere are a lot of people that have been a part of this journey with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zilisch then proceeded to thank everyone from his current team at JR Motorsports<\/a>, to the Silver Hare Racing he competed in Sports Cars with, to Pinnacle Racing Group whom he raced ARCA and Late Models with.<\/p>\n

A dream come true
\n \"Connor <\/p>\n

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images<\/p>\n

But back to the tears for a moment. Why didn\u2019t Zilisch stand a chance?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cI knew the whole world knew already but still to be able to say it and have my name next to the words \u2018Cup Series\u2019 is really cool so I wasn\u2019t going to try and hide from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s just a day that I\u2019ve been dreaming about for a long time and I\u2019m not going to let that kind of idea, that everyone already knows, kind of take away from the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a moment he has dreamed about for a long time, racing at one of the highest levels of any given discipline, and Marks recognized his potential from the moment he went door-to-door with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched him race at the Trackhouse Motorplex, watched him as he went to Late Models and then Trans-Am, and then got an opportunity to be his teammate in the Trans-Am race at (Virginia International Raceway) just to sort of see how he operates, and he won that race by about 45 seconds over the field,\u201d Marks said. \u201cIt was really kind of that moment that we felt like making an investment in Connor, giving him the tools and the opportunity to develop, was something that we really needed to do at Trackhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

And all Zilisch has done since then is win.<\/p>\n

Nothing but success for the young phenom
\n \"Connor <\/p>\n

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n

Photo by: James Gilbert \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

He has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, countless Touring Car and Late Model races, and now victories across ARCA and the Xfinity Series. He is the current championship leader and will be racing Cup at 19-years-old in February.<\/p>\n

But it goes beyond the resume, as Zilisch is also genuinely wise beyond his years. There is a maturity, respect and earnestness that he carries towards everyone that he meets. The combined package is why Marks immediately jumped at developing him and why Red Bull made him one of its rare representative athletes.<\/p>\n

Marks said that \u2018everyone sees\u2019 what he sees in Zilisch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the level of maturity, the approach, the ability to deliver in big moments,\u201d Marks said. \u201cWhen I get asked, which is sort of weird, but I get asked sometimes by young people, \u2018What can I do to get noticed or to get an opportunity in racing?\u2019 And I tell them it\u2019s just you have to just win.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to have the ability to get it done when you got a fast racecar, and when you have a winning opportunity, you got to be able to close the deal. Connor\u2019s done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks referenced his \u2018rate of adaptability\u2019 and how fast he is is across every platform and discipline he partakes in. This is important, given a Cup Series that has evolved from true Stock Car to Sports Car hybrid that races on ovals, dirt, road courses and superspeedways.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sport won\u2019t wait on somebody to figure things out,\u201d Marks said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a fast-paced sport. You have to be able to get in a car, understand it right away, find its limits right away, and go deliver right away. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really what it\u2019s all about, because the Cup Series is a different sport than the Xfinity Series. Every week is such a challenge, and he\u2019s going to be going to a lot of racetracks that he\u2019s never seen in a Cup car before and with such limited practice. He\u2019s going to have to be able to figure out how to go fast really quickly. And he\u2019s demonstrated the ability to do that so much in his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Connor <\/p>\n

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just his assessment of the race car driver and not the human being.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmotional maturity, approach, organization, and paying attention to the things that are important to success in his career,\u201d Marks said. \u201cAll of those things together, he\u2019s demonstrated in a way that I\u2019ve never seen a teenager be able to do it before.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when you recognize that you\u2019ve got that in a package, you know you have to run with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zilisch\u2019s vulnerability, empathy and willingness to bare his soul in every environment along the way to his ascension to the Cup Series is part and parcel to what has made him great behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

He intends to stay grounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to Sunday and all of a sudden this becomes a job and you\u2019re finishing position determines if you\u2019re going to stay in the sport or not and that adds pressure and makes things more difficult,\u201d Zilisch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt certainly adds to the fact that it\u2019s no longer all about having fun but that is what I\u2019m going to try to do \u2013 to make sure that I do my best and enjoy the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the 38-week grind is too long to be miserable doing this for a living now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do my best but there is nothing that can really prepare you for this jump and only time will tell how it affects me. But I\u2019m going to do my best to stand on my ground and stay true to who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

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