{"id":270136,"date":"2025-11-08T14:32:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T14:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/270136\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T14:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T14:32:08","slug":"nascar-rookie-connor-zilisch-will-shoulder-heavy-weight-motorsport-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/270136\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR rookie Connor Zilisch will shoulder heavy weight – Motorsport – Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch will carry a heavy weight on his shoulders in 2026, with the 19-year-old driving the iconic No. 88 previously held by his former JR Motorsports boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Zilisch’s 2025 Xfinity season ended in Championship heartbreak after Jesse Love pipped him to the title in Phoenix, Arizona, despite racking up 10 wins \u2014 but the teenager is now looking forward to taking the next step in his career.<\/p>\n

Long before the 2025 season ended, it was confirmed that Zilisch would be replacing Daniel Suarez<\/a> for a full-time seat at Trackhouse Racing. He has decided to honor JRM owner Dale Jr. by continuing to drive the No. 88, the number the NASCAR<\/a> legend sported from 2008 to 2017.<\/p>\n

It is also the number that his 2026 teammate Shane van Gisbergen used during his rookie Cup Series campaign last season, while he dominated road courses with five wins<\/a>. “It’s cool for me to carry on the legacy of the 88 number,” Zilisch said.<\/p>\n

“That number has quickly become important to me, and the history of that number in the sport with Shane, Dale Jr., Dale Jarrett, and everyone who has run the 88. I certainly have big shoes to fill but hopefully I’ll be able to carry that on.<\/p>\n

“I’m really excited to be working with Randall in 2026. We have already started working on how we’re going to approach next season. I feel like we are starting to build that relationship which is very important. I’m looking forward to learning a lot from Randall and his experience in this sport.”<\/p>\n

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Dale Jr. also wrote Zilisch a heartfelt letter ahead of his Cup Series move. “Dear Connor,” Dale Jr. started. “The #88 has always carried a little extra meaning for me. It’s not just a number: It’s a legacy, defined by guys like Darrell Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, and most recently, SVG.<\/p>\n

“I had a lot of great years myself driving that number. You ignited a new chapter with the 88, one written in your own style. From breaking records to delivering JRM’s 100th win as an organization, I always knew you had the talent and the heart.<\/p>\n

“And now, I couldn’t be more proud to say you will carry the #88 forward into the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing. The story of the #88 is far from finished. And now, it’s your turn to write the next chapter, and we’re all here for it. Your friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr.”<\/p>\n

Veteran Cup Series crew chief Randall Burnett will guide Zilisch in his first full-time Cup season. He is an experienced NASCAR crew chief, boasting six Cup Series victories and having overseen 253 Cup races. Burnett also secured the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship while working with Tyler Reddick.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnor is a talented young driver and has been successful in other racing series,\u201d said Burnett.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be the guy who will guide him in his first full Cup season and doing it at Trackhouse is a privilege. He\u2019s very energetic and dedicated to being a successful driver.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch will carry a heavy weight on his shoulders in 2026, with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270137,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,14056,2332,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-270136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-dale-earnhardt-jr","11":"tag-motorsport-section","12":"tag-nascar","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}