Connor Zilisch may be NASCAR’s most electrifying young prospect in years, but as he prepares for his 2026 Cup Series debut, two of the sport’s biggest superstars are warning him that the hype won’t protect him from the most challenging transition in American motorsports.

The 19-year-old phenom, who was brought into NASCAR by Trackhouse Racing in 2024, will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet next season with sponsors Red Bull and WeatherTech behind him.

Yet the spotlight shining on his meteoric rise has also drawn some unfiltered, reality-check advice from drivers who know exactly how punishing the jump from Xfinity to the Cup level can be.

NASCAR Veterans Praise Connor Zilisch’s Talent but Warn of Harsh Lessons

Joey Logano, a three-time Cup Series champion and one of NASCAR’s few true prodigy success stories, said he sees enormous potential in Zilisch. “I think he’s better than I was at that age,” Logano admitted, before immediately cautioning that raw talent alone won’t soften the blow awaiting him.

Logano highlighted a common trap for young drivers: believing their lower-series domination will seamlessly transfer to Cup racing. “It’s easy as an 18- or 19-year-old to drink the Kool-Aid,” he said. “He’s a great driver, no doubt. He won a lot of Xfinity races. Cup racing is different. Everybody is great at this level. Everybody is fantastic.”

Logano continued, “So, you can’t drink your own Kool-Aid too much where you think you’re the next thing because you’re going to get here and fall on your face. I lived it. As good as I think he is and will be, I also think he has to stay humble throughout it all and remember what’s important.”

His warning comes from personal experience. Signed by Joe Gibbs Racing at 18, Logano became an Xfinity Series sensation, winning early and often. But when he was vaulted into the Cup Series, the level of competition stunned him.

Against hardened veterans with decades of experience, Logano struggled to match the speed he’d shown on short tracks and in lower-tier series. The humbling phase reshaped him as a driver, and he believes Zilisch could soon face the same adjustment.

Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion known for his blunt assessments, echoed Logano’s message with his signature frank language. Using Ty Gibbs as an example, Busch said young stars often don’t realize how enormous the gap is between NASCAR’s top two national series.

“Let me preface this first by saying this is no dig at Ty, but look at Ty Gibbs,” said Busch. He then went on to break down the phases of an Xfinity champion stepping into the bigger shoes, the Cup Series.

Busch said, “It’s the same sort of thing: Dominating the Xfinity Series, winning with one of the best teams out there, doing everything right and getting results, winning a championship and then getting to the Cup Series and just not understanding the level that it takes at this level to be good or run up front, capitalize, win races, and the such. So, Zilisch is going to have the same thing. It’s a rude awakening.”

Busch also explained that the step from Trucks to Xfinity is manageable, but the leap from Xfinity to Cup is a shock few fully grasp until they’re in the car.

With Zilisch expected to be competitive right from the start, Busch and Logano believe expectations must be tempered. The Cup Series doesn’t care how many trophies a driver collected on the way up.