Frustrated Connor Zilisch gets real about his disappointment with Sheldon Creed’s unassertive Daytona move

NASCAR prodigy and JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch competed in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona and made his full-time debut with JR Motorsports in the 2025 season. During a post-race interview with NASCAR broadcaster Noah Lewis, the latter gave his take on his Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed's last-minute move.

Zilisch earned a significant amount of attention at the age of 18 with his remarkable performances in stock car racing. He secured five wins in the ARCA Menards Series in the 2024 season. The 18-year-old also won his debut race in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports in the last season. Additionally, he will also compete in the Cup Series driving the #87 Chevy Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing sponsored by Red Bull.

During the United Rentals 300, Connor Zilisch displayed some great moves. However, with just two laps to go at Daytona International Speedway, Zilisch found himself in the outside wall. Fellow driver Sheldon Creed pulled a last-minute maneuver, causing a multi-car wreck and bringing out the caution flag.

Reflecting upon the same, Connor Zilisch expressed his thoughts on Creed's move:

"Yeah. I mean, I feel like, if you're going to block, you got to pick a lane, and he was trying to block both lanes. And, you know, I get it's two to go, but it's just tough to manage that when you know he's, I'm on his left rear trying to, you know, get a run. I'm getting pushed from behind, and he's half blocking." [00:07 onwards]

"So, you know, I don't really know where I could have gone to do something differently. Just kind of wish he either picked in front of me or picked the top or, you know, done something a little more assertive," he concluded.

The JR Motorsports driver finished in P27 in the United Rentals 300; meanwhile, the Haas Factory Team driver, Sheldon Creed, finished third behind Sam Mayer and the winner, Jesse Love.

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“He has a strong road course resume already”: NASCAR influencer predicts Connor Zilisch's first Cup Series start

NASCAR influencer Eric Estepp made a bold prediction for the stock car racing prodigy Connor Zilisch for his upcoming Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). In his recent YouTube video, Estepp shared predictions for the upcoming Cup Series, and one of them included the 18-year-old's finish in the Cup Series debut.

Estepp predicted that the Trackhouse Racing driver would finish among the top five drivers on his debut race in March. The YouTuber supported his statement by adding that Zilisch has a strong road course background, including a Rolex 24 at Daytona win.

“How about a top five for Connor Zilisch in his Cup Series debut? He (Trackhouse development driver) has a strong road course resume already. He's got a Rolex watch in his collection; he's won races overseas. I'm not ready to predict an 18-year-old is gonna win in his first cup start, but a top five is absolutely on the table. Keep in mind they've shortened the NASCAR COTA layout a little bit. So everyone in the field will have to learn a couple different corners,” stated Eric Estepp [0:35].

Connor Zilisch ran two races in the Truck Series as a Trackhouse Racing development driver. During his debut race at COTA, he surprised everyone by securing a spot in the top five drivers driving the #7 Spire Motorsports truck.