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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 04: NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Connor Zilisch speaks to the media during NASCAR Champions week at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on November 04, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The 64th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona<\/a> delivered a thrilling battle at the front and a remarkable GTP debut for Connor Zilisch. At just 19, Connor\u00a0 Zilisch played a key role in guiding the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series R to a\u00a0second-place finish<\/a> in the GTP class at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n This race marked the opening round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, challenging teams with constantly changing conditions over 24 hours. Zilisch shared driving duties with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti, making both his first start in GTP machinery and his first top-level Rolex 24<\/a> appearance.<\/p>\n Connor Zilisch Adjusts to the GTP Class<\/p>\n Connor Zilisch arrived at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona with prior LMP2 experience but had never raced in the GTP category. The step up demanded rapid adaptation during practice and his initial race stints.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome just showing up and learning. When I first showed up, I had a lot to make up for and figure out. I felt like, come race time, I was pretty comfortable and could hold my own on the track.\u201d<\/p>\n Connor Zilisch credited his more experienced teammates for helping him adjust during his first GTP race.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super grateful for all three of these guys. They took me under their wing and allowed me to learn from them. They didn\u2019t shy away from trying to help me as much as they could. That definitely made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n The No. 31 Cadillac maintained a consistent pace over long runs and navigated multi-class traffic with composure. Strategic car updates kept the team competitive throughout both day and night segments.<\/p>\n Mistakes, Cautions, and Recovery<\/p>\n The Cadillac crew faced several setbacks overnight, including unexpected strategy shifts and on-track incidents that forced the team to fight back from adversity. A timely late caution allowed the car to re-enter contention during the closing stages.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, obviously, I was upset at myself, but the cautions ended up falling at the right time and put us back in the race. Maybe having the track position earlier would have helped, but I don\u2019t know if it really affected the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Connor Zilisch acknowledged Porsche\u2019s performance<\/a> from testing through the race while reflecting on his own mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the Porsches were really strong, and I think everybody saw that from testing until now. Yeah, I definitely kicked myself and was upset, but looking at it from a bird\u2019s-eye view, I don\u2019t know if it really affected the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Well-timed cautions allowed the Cadillac to mount a late challenge for the lead, keeping consistent pressure on the frontrunners until the final hour.<\/p>\n Racing Against Factory Teams<\/p>\n Porsche Penske Motorsport<\/a> secured victory, controlling the final stages with impressive pace. The closing battle underscored the depth and competitiveness of the GTP field.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for me, I just think learning the car, learning the traffic, and figuring everything out was a lot of fun. It was a challenge racing against the best of the best in the world. Having to go against a lot of guys who are factory drivers and do this all the time, and for me, it\u2019s kind of once a year, I know what I\u2019m stepping into when I do it. I know that I need to step up and be good for my team and not let my team down.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite missing out on victory, the team clinched a hard-fought second place after 24 grueling hours of competition.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really proud of the entire team. It was a long race. We definitely had a lot of setbacks. It was a unique 24. I\u2019m grateful they gave me the chance, and hopefully I can come back.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rolex 24 once again drew large crowds and kicked off the IMSA season with a dramatic finish. While Porsche celebrated victory, the No. 31 Cadillac departed Daytona<\/a> with a standout result and a successful GTP debut for Connor Zilisch.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Image PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 04: NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Connor Zilisch speaks to the media during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-434514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434514","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=434514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}