Trackhouse development driver Connor Zilisch wins 12 Hours of Sebring at 17 years old
Folks, Trackhouse Racing might just have the driver of the future, and he’s only 17 years old. Connor Zilisch won the 12 Hours of Sebring this weekend. The future NASCAR driver brought home the win in a sprint to the finish, through the night, and to victory.
The 12 Hours of Sebring is one of the most highly regarded endurance races in the world. Coming off of his 24 Hours of Daytona victory with Era Motorsport in the LMP2 category, Zilisch is making headlines again.
Not only was he on the winning team, he was also the driver who brought it home. A restart with just 23 minutes remaining in the race created quite the situation for Zilisch. 23 minutes in a 12-hour race is just a blink of an eye, really.
Connor Zilisch spun out at one point but kept his car unscathed with some smart recovery driving. When it came down to the last pit stop and the final restart, Zilisch put his team on his back and took them to Victory Lane.
Defending against a motivated and talented Felipe Fraga, Zilisch put on a masterclass for a 17-year-old. Before his Daytona race, the young driver had no experience in IMSA or an LMP2 for that matter. Eventually, Fraga dropped from the pace and Zilisch raced home for the win.
Zilisch joins Pato O’Ward, IndyCar driver and potential F1 driver in the future, as the only 17-year-olds to win Daytona and Sebring back-to-back. An amazing accomplishment.
Connor Zilisch is the real deal
The craziest part about this whole Connor Zilisch thing, he’s not even planning on pursuing endurance racing. At least, not full-time. Zilisch is in a NASCAR pipeline, being developed by Trackhouse Racing.
Next week at COTA, Zilisch will get his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series with Spire Motorsports. Later this year, he has starts with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Soon enough, we could see him make Cup Series starts with the way he’s progressing.
With how well Zilisch has performed in his IMSA starts, he is going to have interest from teams wanting him to pilot their cars. Of course, Le Mans is the big race everyone wants to compete in and everyone wants to win. With two-thirds of the endurance Triple Crown to his name, Zilisch deserves a shot at that third.
And he wants someone to give him a chance.
17 years old and already making international buzz with his driving. Connor Zilisch is a name to watch, appreciate, and enjoy – when he’s behind the wheel in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, IMSA, NASCAR, or wherever, you need to find a way to watch him work.