“It’s all new to me”: 17-year-old NASCAR debutant Connor Zilisch talks about breaking the course record on his maiden quali

Spire Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch has reflected upon his enthralling record-breaking run on his NASCAR debut at COTA.

The 17-year-old ventured into the NASCAR scene as a development driver for Trackhouse Racing for the entire 2024 and 2025 seasons. Per his agreement, Zilisch will run at the Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports, and field #7 Truck for Spire Motorsports, and will furthermore be seen at several motorsports events as inked in his deal.

The 140-mile adrenaline-packed XPEL 225 is set to begin on Saturday, March 23, at 1.30 PM ET. The lineup includes a total of 35 drivers among whom Connor Zilisch is the one to become the polesitter at his debut run in NASCAR. The North Carolina native bagged the top speed of 93.012 mph, locking the P1 spot for the 42-lap dash at the Circuit of the Americas.

On top of that, with his fastest lap on the 3.41-mile road course, Zilisch has clinched the fastest overall time at the track, completing one lap in 2 minutes 11.938 seconds, dethroning Ross Chastain, who savored the fastest lap time at 2:13.613 minutes in 2023.

Post his remarkable run, the polesitter reflected on his record-breaking run, saying (via Frontstretch on X)(10:58):

"I went to practice and felt what a 100% [race pace] is like. It's still very new to me, I was learning every lap on practice so you know I wished I could stay under the tire and do my part. I had a really really fast truck and that made my job definitely a lot easier."

Connor Zilisch preps up for an exhausting doubleheader on Saturday

Zilisch will be seen taming his #7 Chevrolet in the Truck Series race at COTA, but within no time, the 17-year-old will fly to the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida for his ARCA Menards East Series opener race.

Connor Zilisch has raked in two consecutive endurance crown jewels so he's no stranger to the motorsport scene. However, he has never raced in an ARCA car, or even at an oval for that matter, and would be running at Five Flags Speedway without any requisite practice to reign supreme over his rivals.

Still, the North Carolina native seems confident in his abilities as he looks forward to dominating his doubleheader. Connor Zilisch said (via ARCA Racing's official release):

“I’ve done a bunch of preparation to be ready for both races. I’m ready to make the most of the opportunity with the ARCA car and the truck. Pensacola is going to be the biggest thing, as I’m showing up to the track without practice or qualifying and with no experience in an ARCA car on an oval."

He added:

“There’s going to be a lot of new stuff for me, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready for it.”