COTA winner Connor Zilisch reveals the secret that kept him ‘unflappable’ in the face of near defeat: “You just can't let the noise get to you”

Dale Jr.'s NASCAR prodigy, Connor Zilisch, has disclosed the secret behind his calm demeanor at the Circuit of The Americas despite looming troubles. The JR Motorsports driver was the polesitter and looked poised for a promising result, but an early mistake in the race shattered his prospects of winning. Nonetheless, the North Carolina native led a race-high 26 laps to cherish the victory burnouts.

The 65-lap event proved disastrous for Zilisch early on. On Lap 19, he entered the closed pit road, attracting a penalty and resulting in a rear-of-the-field restart. Moreover, the #88 Chevy driver had to survive a tire rub stemming from contact with Corey Heim during a late restart.

Still, the Xfinity Series rookie stood calm and focused, which paid off massively. He outperformed star drivers like William Byron, Ross Chastain, Justin Allgaier, and more. Following his remarkable victory, Zilisch was asked how he kept himself 'unflappable' during adverse situations, especially with the 'distraction' of the debut Cup Series race scheduled for the next day.

The COTA winner said (via CW Sports)

"You just can't let the noise get to you, you got to keep doing your thing no matter what, whether it's a good talk or bad talk, you got to keep doing it. Prepare the same way, and the results will come." (0:49)

Zilisch made the race-winning pass on teammate Carson Kvapil, with nine laps until the checkered flag dropped.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes feelings known on Connor Zilisch's COTA triumph

Despite some setbacks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a great weekend in Texas. Firstly, the JRM drivers Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil, and Sam Mayer locked the top eight spots during the qualifying, having an upper hand over the remaining field.

Secondly, though Kvapil succumbed to a 23rd-place finish after losing a right front tire while running second, and Allgaier fell to a 29th-place finish, Zilisch's triumph, Mayer's P3 finish, and Chastain's eighth-place run gave the JRM camp plenty to celebrate.

Thus, following the exhilarating battle, Dale Jr. expressed his 'proud' feelings of witnessing Connor Zilisch take the COTA win.

"Very proud of @ConnorZilisch and @Mardylindley and the @JRMotorsports team. That battle with Carson made me nauseous. Gonna be a fun but very stressful year! 😀😀😀💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼," Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on X.

Connor Zilisch will kick off his debut Cup Series race from 14th place on the grid.