“More stressful than driving”: 17-year-old Connor Zilisch on spotting opportunity at Chicago

Connor Zilisch has laid bare his thoughts on his new role at the Chicago Street Circuit. The 17-year-old has been assigned to spot Parker Kligerman in the Xfinity Series and Ross Chastain in the Cup Series race.

Zilisch entered NASCAR this year as a development driver for Trackhouse Racing. The North Carolina native drives part-time in the Truck Series for Spire Motorsports, and in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. So far, he's run one Truck race at the Circuit of The Americas where he finished fourth and is set to make his Xfinity debut at the Watkins Glen.

Since entering NASCAR last year, the Chicago Street Circuit will host its second Cup Series and Xfinity Series debacles. However, no Truck Series race will commence on the streets and the action will resume on the Pocono Raceway, next week. Thus, Connor Zilisch won't be racing this weekend but will be present in the paddock as a spotter for Parker Kilgerman and Ross Chastain.

While speaking on his role other than taming the high-octane ride, Zilisch outlined spotting as being "more stressful."

"I'm here with Ross and Parker Kligerman, so hopefully we can end up in victory lane as a spotter for this weekend. I think spotting is more stressful than driving. I feel like you can really mess up someone else's race which is a lot of pressure, so hopefully I'll do that," Zilisch said via Matt Weaver on X (0.25).

Last year, Connor Zilisch did the same job for Kyle Larson and Bradon Jones at Watkins Glen International, so he's not new to the spotting scene.

"It's a dream come true"- Connor Zilisch on signing Xfinity deal with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports

Presently, Zilisch is 17 years old and as per NASCAR's rule, he can't compete in Cup Series racing or full-time in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series until he turns 18.

However, the NASCAR newbie's Xfinity schedule with JRM was already fixed in March this year. Since Connor Zilisch can't battle full-time, he will be seen behind the wheel of the #88 Chevy in four NXS races. The motorsports prodigy will kick off his debut run at Watkins Glen, followed by Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and the season finale at the Phoenix Raceway.

While savoring a "dream come true" moment, Connor Zilisch expressed his feelings about running for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to race in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports for select races this year. I have a lot to learn considering that I’ve never raced on any big tracks previously, but there’s no better team to learn with than JRM," Zilisch said via JRM Racing.

Much of the part-time driver's surge in NASCAR can be attributed to his 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona win, several national karting championships in the US, and a runner-up finish at his debut ARCA Menards run last year.