Connor Zillisch adds fire to his hype with ARCA win at Watkins Glen ahead of NASCAR debut

Connor Zillisch has made the headlines again and added one more victory to his records. The eighteen-year-old prodigy is all set for his much-anticipated debut in the Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen tomorrow. Before his debut, the Pinnacle Racing Group driver won the General Tire 100 ARCA race on the same track, giving him a headstart.

This is Zillisch's fifth national win in the ARCA series in the 2024 season. He set a commanding best time of 01:14.1 in the practice laps with a speed of 119.067 mph. In the qualifying round, the #28 driver broke his practice record with a best time of 1:13.8 and a top speed of 119.548 mph.

Zillisch dominated the reigning champion William Sawalich, a 17-year-old prodigy signed by Joe Gibbs Racing, in all the rounds. NASCAR's official X account shared a post congratulating the Trackhouse Racing driver for his fifth win, writing:

"After an @ARCA_Racing win, this 18-year-old looks to go back-to-back at @WGI."

In a post-race interview, Connor Zillisch appreciated his team's efforts and said:

"We worked really hard to bring a fast car to these road courses, and it means a lot to get redemption on our second-place finish from last year."

The eighteen-year-old won the pole position in his truck debut at COTA in March. He also won the IMSA class in 24 hours of Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring this year.

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Connor Zillisch is reaching new heights in his career

The young talent Connor Zillisch is having the "biggest year" of his life and has landed three deals with some of the industry giants.

In January 2024, Zillisch signed a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing to develop his skills and prepare for stock car racing. This deal includes select Cars Tour, ARCA Menards Series, Trans Am, and IMSA races, along with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series in 2024 and 2025.

The next deal the young prodigy made was with JR Motorsports last month. He will be a full-time Xfinity Series driver in 2025 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. As part of the deal, Zillisch will be making his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen tomorrow and will race on three different tracks.

Lastly, the talented youngster was sponsored by the globally recognized energy drink Red Bull on Friday. Zillisch shared the news on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, sharing images with the energy drink officials handing him his Red Bull helmet. The eighteen-year-old mentioned this as one of his childhood dreams and is thrilled to join the team.

After Shane van Gisbergen, the Trackhouse driver Connor Zillisch has become the second driver to land a Red Bull sponsorship. The Chevrolet Motorsports driver welcomed the young talent to the Red Bull family.