Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “most mature 18-year-old driver” compared to Golf royalty Tiger Woods by NASCAR Insider

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports prodigy, Connor Zilisch, has continued to impress on road courses, securing pole position for the NASCAR Xfinity race at Circuit of the Americas. Beyond his chart-topping speed, Zilisch has also drawn praise for displaying a level of maturity well beyond his years.

Following an impressive ARCA campaign last year, Zilisch made a statement by securing pole position in his debut Truck race. He left a bigger mark on his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen, converting his pole position into a dominant victory while maintaining his composure in a chaotic race.

Ahead of Zilisch's Cup Series debut, NASCAR insider Chris Werme hailed the 18-year-old #88 JR Motorsports driver as the most mature young athlete since Tiger Woods. The legendary golfer gained prominence as a teenager, demonstrating remarkable composure and maturity beyond his years. Werme drew parallels between Zilisch and a young Woods, hyping up the Cup Series prospect.

"I don't think that Connor Zilisch is the most mature 18 year old in motorsports. He is most mature 18 year old athlete I have seen since Tiger Woods. Yes, I just compared CZ to Tiger," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

There is plenty of hype surrounding Zilisch, who is set to make his Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing this weekend. Bookmakers have placed him as the second favorite to win the race, trailing only Shane van Gisbergen and ranking ahead of favorites like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

Competing for the Xfinity championship this season, the 18-year-old has a legitimate opportunity to secure a playoff spot and make a run for the title. Having wrecked out in the opening rounds of the season, Zilisch will also hope to showcase progress on traditional ovals.

Catch Connor Zilisch lead the NASCAR Xfinity field to the green flag on Saturday, (Mar. 1), at 2:30 pm ET.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s prodigy elaborates on his friendship with NASCAR rival

Connor Zilisch shares a close bond with his Xfinity Series rival Jesse Love. While they are fierce competitors on the track, they often engage in friendly banter off it. Zilisch acknowledged that 20-year-old Love is one of the few friends who truly understands him, as both stepped into the competitive racing world at a young age.

In a recent interview with Mamba Smith, he elaborated on his relationship with the Richard Childress Racing driver:

"We push each other a lot and we're super competitive, even if we may not admit it. For me as an 18-year-old, it's really tough for me to relate to kids my age, right? Nobody? It's very rare that there's an 18-year-old who's kind of taken on a professional career and, really busy, and every day is full of meetings, and, it's a different lifestyle, and kids my age find it hard to understand, so that's kind of where Jesse and I can relate." [from 15:30]

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently engaged in social media banter with the two young drivers, chiding them for always sneaking in a nap. However, the joke came full circle when industry veterans called out Dale Jr. for having done the same.

Jesse Love is in his sophomore season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, aiming to make a run for the championship this season. He has already booked his playoff berth, with a victory in the season opener at Daytona.