DFS hypes up Cup Series debutant Connor Zilisch with stunning second-favorite odds to win the COTA race

Connor Zilisch is all set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at COTA this coming Sunday. On that note, Draftkings, a sports betting company based in Boston, Massachusetts, named the 18-year-old Charlotte native as the second-most favorite to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

Zilisch, who turns 19 this July, will be driving the No. 87 for Trackhouse Racing in the 95-lap event. Winning it will make him the youngest driver to win a Cup Series race dethroning Team Penske's Joey Logano, who bagged his first Cup Series victory in 2009 when he was 19 years, one month, and four days old.

Reporting Zilisch’s odds of winning via DraftKings, a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted,

“DraftKings has bought into the hype. Connor Zilisch has the second best odds to win Sunday.”

Zilisch’s has a two-fold duty this coming weekend at COTA. Besides carrying out his errand at the Cup level, Zilisch will race his usual No. 88 Xfinity car under the banner of JR Motorsports owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I want to try and become the youngest Cup Series winner, and to do that, I have to race as soon as possible and get it in before I turn 19," Zilisch said of his upcoming debut. "I wanted to at least give myself a shot at that. So, that was definitely part of my thinking. Honestly, I don't think there was anything that told me that I’m not ready to race on a road course on Sunday."

Fans can watch Zilisch in action exclusively on FOX from 3:30 pm ET onwards. PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide live radio coverage of the 95-lap event.

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“I have no expectations”- Connor Zilisch sends a clear message ahead of Cup Series debut

Connor Zilisch made his expectations known going into this coming weekend. He is fresh off wins in the ARCA Menards Series and a dominant victory in his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International in September 2024. With that, he became the seventh driver in Xfinity history to win in their maiden race.

Zilisch’s mentality for the upcoming race is the same as it was before his Xfinity debut. Speaking of the same, he said,

“I have no expectations. I don't expect to win, and I go in expecting to learn and pick up as much as I can from the weekend. But there's always a chance your car is really good, you get up to speed fast and you get the opportunity to win the race.”

“I don't think we would do this race if we didn't think there was a chance I could compete at the front. So, that's my goal going in,” he added.

Zilisch knows that anything can happen during one’s debut, so he’s not too stressed about winning. However, he wants to be competitive and run for at least a top 10 or perhaps a top 5, learning all he can on the way.