NASCAR analyst slams Max Verstappen comparisons for Connor Zilisch, critiques "shock" over young American talent

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch, who has had a succesful career at a young age, has been chosen to be a part of Red Bull's athlete team which has led to some comparison between him and Formula 1's Max Verstappen. NASCAR analyst Ash Vandelay took to her social media to comment on Red Bull's new signing, pointing out that drawing comparisons between the Dutchman and Zilisch is of no use, and that it shouldn't come as a surprise that a young, talented racing driver is coming from the USA.

Vandelay made her opinion clear in a quote share of a video that was posted on X (formerly Twitter) that talked about Zilisch's joining of the Austrian-based organization and drew comparisons to Max and the other F1 drivers. She wrote:

"Is it? Is it really that shocking to people that a young talented race car driver is from…America? Also can we not do the compare to Max Verstappen thing - Connor Zilisch is his own person that races entirely different series. Rage bait for real."

Connor Zilisch was signed by Red Bull in September last year, during his debut season in NASCAR. The 18-year-old has been signed to the Justin Marks and Pitbull owned Trackhouse Racing since early last year in a development role.

Speaking about joining Red Bull, Zilisch said (via X):

"So stoked to be joining the @redbull family as a Red Bull athlete! This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I couldn’t be more pumped. Let’s go!!!"

Connor made his debut in the second-tier of NASCAR at the Watkins Glen International track during the 2024 season where he secured pole and victory. Zilisch will make his full-time season debut next year in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, driving the #88 car.

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Connor Zilisch has spent the off-season representing Red Bull

Weeks before the New Year, the #88 driver shared photos of how he's been spending his time during the off-season. The series of images included Connor Zilisch spending time at home, watching races, football games, and other moments from his time away from racing. A major part of all the photos was the driver wearing Red Bull merchandise, in the form of caps and beanies, to show off his new partnership with the team.

Zilisch posted the images to his instagram with the caption:

"Off seasoning"

One of the images also featured Zilisch with New Zealand's Shane Van Gisbergen, who is also part of the Red Bull athlete roster. SVG will race for Trackhouse Racing full-time in the Cup Series in 2025.

Zilisch will make his full-time racing debut in the first race of the Xfinity Series this year in February at the Daytona International Speedway in the United Rentals 300.