Here’s why Connor Zilisch could be NASCAR’s next big thing

Connor Zilisch is becoming the next big thing in NASCAR. He is a member of Trackhouse Racing, a team owned by Justin Marks and Cuban-American rapper Pitbull. Marks has a keen eye for finding young talent. They signed a multi-year development deal with him in January 2024.

The eighteen-year-old prodigy has achieved a lot at such a young age. He is a former Kart racer and has won many national titles. In 2020, he won the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, becoming the first American driver to achieve this fate. This is the same title that was won by Ferrari's F1 driver, Charles Leclerc, in 2011. Connor Zilisch switched to car racing in 2022, becoming the Mazda MX-5 top rookie.

At 15, Zilisch stepped foot in stock car racing and raced in local Late Model events, bagging a couple of wins. Last year, the eighteen-year-old prodigy debuted in ARCA NASCAR's fourth-tier racing series. Zilisch also has experience in Trans-Am racing and was the youngest driver to win a race with a total of five wins.

Connor Zilisch is currently leading the ARCA East ranking with 17 additional points over the reigning champion William Sawalich from Joe Gibbs Racing. The eighteen-year-old has dominated all ARCA events and even took two wins from many stars at the ARCA Menards national series. Many well-known Cup Series drivers marveled at Zilisch's performance.

Two-time Cup Champion Kyle Busch said:

"His future’s bright and he’s got a lot ahead of him."

"He’s really good … he’s got his head on straight and he seems very mature. I think, for sure, he’ll be a Cup Series guy someday," stated Kyle Larson.

Connor Zilisch lands a new sponsor ahead of his Xfinity debut

The eighteen-year-old made a deal with JR Motorsports and will be racing for them at the Watkins Glen track tomorrow making his Xfinity debut. But before his debut race, Zilisch landed one of the biggest sponsorships an athlete could dream of. The energy drink brand Red Bull signed Zilisch as one of its official athletes.

Zilisch shared this news on his X account with some pictures of him with the Red Bull officials giving him his helmet. The young talent also mentioned that this has been his dream since he was a little kid and is thrilled to be part of the energy drink brand for his future endeavors. This could be one of the biggest moments for Trackhouse Racing to bring such a big sponsor back to NASCAR.

After the failed experiment in 2011, this can be a turning point for Red Bull. Now with drivers like Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, the energy drink brand could aim for a comeback.