with Ethan Brown<\/a>, Zilisch shared, \u201cI\u2019ve talked about this quite a bit, but my dream was, as a kid, always to race sports cars or F1, IndyCar or something like that. I never thought I would race NASCAR, never raced ovals growing up. Was watching it from the shadows, I can\u2019t say I grew up going to NASCAR races. I grew up racing go karts and I still wear a tapered suit. It\u2019s kind of in my DNA, so yeah I can\u2019t say that my dream was to race NASCAR, but I\u2019m here, I\u2019m loving it. I do think that NASCAR is the biggest form of motorsports in America. I want to be the best at the biggest and highest level. To do that in America, you have to race in NASCAR.\u201d<\/p>\nAbout Formula One, Zilisch responded with a striking seven-word reply: \u201cGrowing up, I wanted to race F1, but nowadays it\u2019s really, really difficult to get to that level and quickly realize it was impossible for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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TALLADEGA, AL \u2013 OCTOBER 04: Connor Zilisch 7 Spire Motorsports Austin Hatcher Foundation Chevrolet on pit road before the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Love\u00d5s RV Stop 225 race on October 4, 2024 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Photo by David J. Griffin\/Icon Sportswire AUTO: OCT 04 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love\u00d5s RV Stop 225 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon9532410040277<\/p>\n
The JR Motorsports sensation revealed that his childhood dream was to race in Formula One. He never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that he\u2019d one day be behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car, let alone making a significant impact in the sport. Yet, he isn\u2019t one to take the opportunity for granted. In fact, he openly acknowledged the immense difficulty of reaching Formula One and came to accept that it was more of a pipe dream than a realistic destination.<\/p>\n
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The battle for #99: Zilisch or SVG-who stands out?<\/p>\n
Given how well he\u2019s performing in the Xfinity Series, Connor Zilisch has no regrets about the path his career has taken. Still considered a rookie, Zilisch has already racked up five wins and established himself as a serious title contender. Even better, he\u2019s earned a few Cup Series starts with Trackhouse Racing, and in just three outings, he\u2019s shown steady progress; his best finish being an impressive 11th.<\/p>\n
Their rivalry has already become the stuff of legend. In back-to-back Xfinity road course showdowns at Chicago and Sonoma, Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen traded wins and fastest laps, leaving the rest of the field in their dust. At Sonoma, they combined to lead 70 of 79 laps and set the 45 quickest times; a staggering display of dominance. The mutual respect between them is palpable, with SVG calling Zilisch \u201ca star of the sport\u201d and Zilisch praising SVG\u2019s racecraft and composure. If Trackhouse Racing ends up pairing them in 2026, the #99 seat won\u2019t just be a promotion; it\u2019ll be the ignition point for one of NASCAR\u2019s most electrifying duos.<\/p>\n
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But here\u2019s the twist: Trackhouse Racing hasn\u2019t officially named a successor for the #99 seat. With Daniel Su\u00e1rez confirmed to be leaving at the end of 2025, speculation is swirling, but no formal announcement has been made regarding Zilisch or van Gisbergen. That hasn\u2019t stopped the buzz, though. Zilisch\u2019s Cup Series performances and SVG\u2019s road course dominance have fans and insiders alike debating who deserves the nod. The team\u2019s silence only adds fuel to the fire, making this one of the most intriguing storylines heading into 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Connor Zilisch isn\u2019t just making noise, he\u2019s making headlines. Since stepping into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[13914,2967,33784,1436,1457,1448,10130,14806,10098,10099,20082,33768,10108,33777,6906,13680,10103,33772,29859,10107,10093,10109,33782,10111,275,1449,10112,33773,3727,10084,26746,31339,6036,10110,33771,33770,1459,565,10106,10092,33780,33767,10097,6814,425,1451,18740,20087,10148,10147,3384,10118,33769,561,10514,1467,10119,10121,26374,10532,1454,10120,33775,10102,33778,33779,1453,562,99,8163,10123,10124,33781,24,10131,33774,33776,1435,2089,10140,6511,33783,10139,10142,10146,10145,10149,10141],"class_list":["post-42036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-13914","tag-2967","tag-20250308_aaa_a161_059-jpg","tag-1436","tag-am","tag-an","tag-austragungsort","tag-auto","tag-automobil","tag-automobile","tag-avondale","tag-bereitet","tag-brauch","tag-camaro","tag-car","tag-chevrolet","tag-circuit","tag-closed","tag-connor","tag-control","tag-course","tag-custom","tag-d250308phxs32999wga-jpg","tag-dangerous","tag-day","tag-der","tag-driver","tag-drivers","tag-event","tag-fahrer","tag-fahrern","tag-fastest","tag-fur","tag-gefahrlich","tag-geschlossen","tag-govx","tag-im","tag-jr","tag-kontrolle","tag-kurs","tag-lap","tag-marz","tag-motorsport","tag-motorsports","tag-nascar","tag-nascars","tag-phoenix","tag-phonix","tag-press","tag-presse","tag-professional","tag-profi","tag-qualifizieren","tag-qualifying","tag-qualifyings","tag-quer","tag-race","tag-racer","tag-racetrack","tag-raceway","tag-rennen","tag-rennlaeuferin","tag-rennstrecke","tag-rundstrecke","tag-schnellste","tag-schos","tag-serie","tag-series","tag-sports","tag-tag","tag-teamarbeit","tag-teamwork","tag-timed","tag-usa","tag-venue","tag-veranstaltung","tag-weathertech","tag-x0x","tag-xfinity","tag-zagency","tag-zilisch","tag-zlast24","tag-zselect","tag-zsports","tag-zuma","tag-zumaest","tag-zumapress-com","tag-zwire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}