"Goober" Connor Zilisch trolled by fellow NASCAR driver for "sipping 1st-class Apple Juice" ahead of landmark debut at COTA

Connor Zilisch is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend. While en route to the renowned Texas racetrack, fellow NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo poked fun at Zilisch by calling him a "goober" on a candid social media post.

Zilisch is an 18-year-old professional stock car racing driver scheduled to enter the COTA race with Trackhouse Racing. He will debut in the No. 87 Chevrolet Camaro and aims to become the youngest winner in the premier series.

Alfredo took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on their flight to the Lone Star State.

"Saw this goober sipping on that 1st class apple juice en route to his cup debut 🧃✈️ @ConnorZilisch [Connor Zilisch]," Alfredo wrote.

Despite being young and inexperienced, Connor Zilisch is one of the favorites to win at COTA. His best NASCAR finish on the track was a P4 with Spire Motorsports in the XPEL 225 Craftsman Truck Series race last year.

The North Carolina native is no stranger to showing up big time on debut races. During his first Xfinity Series outing at Watkins Glen last year, the driver secured the pole position and won the road course race ahead of Sheldon Creed and AJ Allmendinger, respectively.

The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA is scheduled for 95 laps around the shorter 2.3-mile layout (from the full 3.41-mile layout) on Sunday. Zilisch will compete alongside teammates Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Shane van Gisbergen.

In addition, the 18-year-old driver is set to race in the Focused Health 250 at COTA as part of his full-time Xfinity Series ride with JR Motorsports.

---

Connor Zilisch sets eyes on the prize at COTA

Targeting to become the youngest Cup Series winner, Connor Zilisch would have to beat Joey Logano's record of winning a Cup race at 19 years old. He exudes confidence for the race and is ready to go up against the guys at the Cup level.

The Trackhouse Racing development driver said (via NASCAR.com):

"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."

"So, you know, I wanted to at least give myself a shot at that. So that was definitely part of my thinking. And honestly, I don’t feel like there’s anything that tells me that I’m not ready to race on a road course on Sunday," he added.

Connor Zilisch won his debut Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen last year - Source: Imagn

Joey Logano secured the record after winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his rookie year with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009. He was 19 years, one month, and four days old.

Connor Zilisch, meanwhile, will turn 19 in July.

The young prodigy will try to beat Logano's record this weekend driving the No. 87 Chevy with sponsorship from the returning Red Bull brand. The energy drink company will also sponsor SVG in five Cup races.