Quick Info
| Profession | Professional stock car racing driver |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | 22/07/2006 |
| Age | 20 years |
| Birthplace | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Latest News about Connor Zilisch
22/10/2026
Zilisch disclosed that a sensor in his mouthpiece recorded repeated 10G impacts while racing through the dogleg at Phoenix Raceway. He said he supports safety improvements at the track but does not want the feature that makes Phoenix unique removed.
17/08/2026
Hendrick Motorsports signed Connor Zilisch to a multiyear contract to drive its No. 48 Ally Chevrolet beginning in 2028. The move follows Alex Bowman's previously announced retirement from full-time competition after the 2027 season. Zilisch is currently in his rookie Cup season with Trackhouse Racing.
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Bio/Wiki
| Summary | Connor Jackson Zilisch is an American professional racing driver who competes in NASCAR's top-level Cup Series, part-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and part-time in the Craftsman Truck Series. He came up through karting, then moved into sports car and stock car racing, and won the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship. He became a full-time Cup Series driver in 2026 and has signed to drive for Hendrick Motorsports from 2028. |
|---|---|
| Early Path | He started karting very young and won a U.S. karting title at age 11, which earned him a place in the 2017 Mini ROK World Championship in Italy, where he won his first race in Europe. In 2020 he became the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. |
Relationships & More
| Mentor Connection | A chance meeting with 2014 NASCAR Cup champion Kevin Harvick helped steer him from open-wheel racing toward stock cars. |
|---|---|
| Notable Rivalry or Friendship | Former roommate and friend Jesse Love, who beat him in the 2023 ARCA Menards race at Watkins Glen. |
Career
| Sports Car Racing | Scored pole in his Trans Am TA2 debut at Virginia International Raceway and won four Mazda MX-5 Cup races in 2022, earning rookie of the year honours. |
|---|---|
| ARCA Series | Finished second in his ARCA debut at Watkins Glen in 2023 at age 17, then won four of eight ARCA races he entered in 2024. |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | Made his Xfinity debut in September 2024 at Watkins Glen and won that race. In 2025 he ran full-time, won 10 races and earned the series regular season championship and Rookie of the Year honours. He set a series record for consecutive top-five finishes in 2025. |
| NASCAR Truck Series | Won the pole and finished fourth on his Truck Series debut in 2024. |
| NASCAR Cup Series | Made three Cup starts in 2025 with Trackhouse Racing, then began his full-time Cup career in 2026 driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. In August 2026 Hendrick Motorsports announced he will drive its No. 48 Chevrolet from 2028. |
| Endurance Racing | Won the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class. |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. He was karting before he started kindergarten. | |
| 2. He became the highest winning rookie driver in Xfinity Series history during his 2025 breakout season. | |
| 3. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and grew up in the Weddington area, which is a NASCAR-heavy region. |
