Connor Zilisch lets his emotions fly after claiming a second consecutive pole at COTA

18-year-old Connor Zilisch is eyeing new heights of success in his NASCAR career. The Charlotte native won the pole for the upcoming Xfinity Series race at COTA, scheduled for March 1 in Austin, Texas.

Notably, Zilisch’s previous start at COTA also happened from the pole. The day was March 15, 2024, and it marked his Craftsman Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports. He finished fourth in the race.

This time around, Zilisch recorded a lap of an impressive one minute and 37.262 seconds, beating teammate Ross Chastain by almost two-tenths of a second. Saturday’s race will mark Zilisch’s seventh career start.

The JR Motorsports newcomer expressed his feelings about the same during an interview with reporter Kim Coon. He said:

“I don't think there's a target on my back. I feel like we're just going to go out there tomorrow and execute our race and do what we know to do. We've got a really fast WeatherTech Chevrolet...looking to make the most of it; hopefully, it'll be a fun battle between the two of us (Zilisch and teammate Ross Chastain).”

It’s going to be a busy weekend for Connor Zilisch. He will be the second-youngest driver to debut in the NASCAR Cup Series after three-time series champion Joey Logano, who did it when he was 18 years and 114 days old.

Zilisch turns 19 on July 22. If he wins the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on March 2, he will become the youngest driver to win a Cup Series race.

Fans can watch Zilisch in action on FOX from 3:30 pm ET onwards or listen to radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Can Connor Zilisch “wear out” the field at COTA?

Connor Zilisch was recently interviewed by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. The young speedster circled out his chances of wearing out the field during Sunday’s Cup Series race at COTA, also the first road course race of 2025.

Despite his age, Zilisch is not naïve. He knows how hard it can be in the Cup Series. He’s not expecting an overkill by any means. However, he thinks a top-10 finish with the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevy would be nice.

“Do I think I can wear out the field?” Zilisch said on being asked the question. “No. You see other guys come into Cup who are road course ringers, other than (Shane van Gisbergen), like ex-F1 drivers, and they don’t just go out and dominate. I definitely want to be competitive and run inside the top 10, but wearing out the field is a whole different thing in the Cup Series.”

A driver only makes their Cup Series debut once, so this is important for Connor Zilisch. His JR Motorsports teammate, Ross Chastain, has previously won at COTA. So Zilisch could be taking pointers from the “Melonman,” who flaunts an average finish of P4 at the 3.426-mile road racing circuit.