“All the girls out there looking for a new boyfriend”: Kevin Harvick shares his Connor Zilisch take following COTA win

Retired NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick gave his thoughts on rising Xfinity Series star Connor Zilisch. The 2014 Cup Series champion believes Zilisch has the talent to be an elite driver, but the next step for the youngster is managing the outside factors that come with being successful in NASCAR.

In the most recent edition of his Happy Hour podcast, the 60-time Cup Series winner said that for guys such as Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen, who ran limited schedules in the past, mainly on road courses, managing an entire season with all the distractions would determine their capabilities.

On a part-time basis, Harvick said the NASCAR world has gotten a glimpse of what Zilisch is made of, but when he has to manage a full season with outside distractions, that's when the sport will know who he is. Harvick added:

"The challenge becomes how do you manage a 38-week season, more money in your bank account, all the girls out there looking for a new boyfriend? There's a lot of life things that you have to manage around that."

Harvick went on to say drivers who want to be successful in the Cup Series have to maintain a high level of preparation weekly. Zilisch, who runs full-time in the Xfinity Series, will have to figure out how to balance his time as Harvick said it'll be crunched once he moves up to the Cup level. Harvick added:

"That's the thing that really affects people more than anything, is how do I manage my time and all the things that it takes to get there? Because preparing for less races is a lot easier than preparing for a whole season."

Zilisch competes full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of the #88 car. The 18-year-old is coming off his second career win in the series at the Circuit of the Americas last Saturday. He led 26 of 65 laps en route to victory.

Connor Zilisch made his Cup Series debut on Sunday at COTA for Trackhouse Racing. However, it didn't end well for Zilisch as he finished dead last in 37th after crashing out of the event.

Connor Zilisch said he's "blessed" for JR Motorsports opportunity after COTA win

In just seven career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Connor Zilisch already has two victories to his name. On the heels of picking up his second win last Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas, Zilisch took to social media to express his gratitude.

Zilisch posted photos to Instagram of his big-time win on Saturday and expressed how thankful he was for JR Motorsports giving him an opportunity. He wrote:

"No words. Can’t thank everyone at @jrmotorsports enough for this opportunity. Beyond blessed❤️"

Zilisch started on the pole and won in his Xfinity debut last year at Watkins Glen, leading 45 of 90 laps en route to victory. He is competing for the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year in 2025.