"I never was too big of a NASCAR fan" - Connor Zilisch explains how meeting Kevin Harvick changed his career path

NASCAR prospect Connor Zilisch revealed that he wasn't initially a big fan of the American stock car racing series, until a meeting with former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick influenced his decision to switch careers.

Zilisch was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and grew up watching Formula 1 and other motor racing series. He began karting at the age of five, and later moved to Europe to compete in the FIA OKJ class. In 2020, he became the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy trophy.

Connor Zilisch initially aspired to race in F1, but switched his focus to NASCAR, after meeting Kevin Harvick. Zilisch was announced as a client of Harvick's KHI management in 2021, and parted ways with the organization in early 2023. However, his interaction with the 2014 Cup champion allowed him to learn more about the stock car series and alter his career trajectory.

The 17-year-old said in a recent interview with Autoweek.com:

"I wasn’t the biggest NASCAR fan growing up. I kind of grew up watching Formula 1, and all of the big sports car races. I never was too big of a NASCAR fan until I met Kevin [Harvick] and kind of got a more in-depth sense of the NASCAR community and what it’s like on this side of things in the racing world."

Zilisch explained that the popularity of the premier stock car racing series was more appealing than other American racing series such as IndyCar and IMSA.

Returning to home soil, Connor Zilisch honed his road course skills in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series and the Trans-Am series in 2022. Zilisch also raced in the Late Models and Pro Late Models before making his ARCA debut at Watkins Glen in 2023. He dominated the event but finished second in his maiden outing.

Zilisch kicked off his 2024 season by winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class, and was signed by Trackhouse Racing as a development driver.

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Connor Zilisch reflects on his NASCAR Truck Series debut

The 17-year-old recently made his Truck Series debut in the #7 Spire Motorsports Chevy at COTA. He stunned the NASCAR fraternity by claiming pole position in his maiden outing.

Connor Zilisch had an eventful outing in the race, as he drove through the pack on multiple occasions, and was classified fourth in his debut race. Zilisch unpacked his debut in a recent video for Spire Motorsports. He said:

"I'm hungry for more...Going in, there was a lot of question marks and I feel like after the first weekend, a lot of those question marks go away."

"It wasn't too much different than I was anticipating it to be, which was a good thing for me. I feel like I can learn and grow and move on and continue to get better as a driver in the Truck Series if I know what I'm racing."

Connor Zilisch will make his Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports at Watkins Glen later this season.