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Connor Zilisch to make second NASCAR Cup Series start in Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

JHby:Jonathan Howard•04/03/25•

Jondean25

Connor Zilisch
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In only his second start in the NASCAR Cup Series, Connor Zilisch is taking on the longest and one of the toughest races in the sport. Zilisch will be racing with Red Bull support in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Connor Zilisch made his Cup Series debut on a road course at COTA. Now the Xfinity Series rookie is taking on one of the most challenging races in the sport on the oval at Charlotte.

Back in the No. 87 for Memorial Day Weekend. The 18-year-old is taking on a tall task next month.

Connor Zilisch is a talented driver. We have seen him learn quickly on the ovals on the NASCAR schedule. However, the Coca-Cola 600 will be unlike any challenge he has had before.

Make no mistake about it, either. This goes beyond Trackhouse Racing developing a young driver. The 600 could very well be an audition for one of those three Cup Series seats that the team owns. Zilisch has stated he wants to be the youngest Cup champion ever, and that means getting to the series sooner rather than later.

Many people expected him to struggle more on ovals than he has. There are still those rookie mistakes that he makes that get him in trouble. But in the Xfinity Series, he has top-fives at Kansas and Phoenix. At Martinsville last weekend, he started on pole, swept the stages, led the most laps, but couldn’t keep his car clean to compete.

The DNF at COTA was very disappointing. But now Zilisch has a start lined up for Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600. That is where he can truly impress those at the next level. That Mexico City race looks like a great place for a third Cup start, by the way.

Connor Zilisch ready for 600 miles

When it comes to NASCAR Cup Series racing, the endurance aspect of the sport is not highlighted nearly as much as it should be. Races that creep into the 500 lap/500-mile+ range are grueling and take a certain level of conditioning to compete at a high level.

Charlotte and the 600 are the pinnacle of stock car endurance racing. For reference, when Supercars race the Bathurst 1000, that is 1000 kilometers, or 621 miles. In that event, there are two drivers involved. Albeit, we are comparing a high-speed oval with a touring circuit. In NASCAR, those 600 miles are all on one driver.

I think a lot of people expected Zilisch to struggle with ovals like other road course “aces.” But this is a different situation. Shane van Gisbergen spent his time as a kid learning to road and street course race. Then he raced 17 years professionally in Supercars BEFORE coming to NASCAR. A career as long as Zilisch’s life spent doing one kind of racing, and doing it very well.

For Connor Zilisch, things are much different. Yes, he grew up racing go-karts and not bandeleros and Legends cars. However, he is young enough that he isn’t beholden to a lifetime of habits and preconceived notions about racing. Not only is he wildly talented, but he is also malleable and capable of learning over the course of one race, let alone a season of racing.

Even so, there will be little to no expectations for Zilisch. His first oval race in the Cup Series, he should start in the back and just watch and learn. Knowing how competitive he is, I doubt he will settle for just riding and learning.