DAYTONA BEACH — NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch had never raced on an oval track when he first made his way to Daytona International Speedway in 2022.
A go-karts specialist already at 15, Zilisch was coaching a kid in Orlando when his parents offered a deal.
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“‘Hey, you want to go to the Daytona 500?’ I thought, ‘Man, what a cool opportunity that would be,’ ” Zilisch recalled Wednesday during the Daytona 500 media day. “I traded my pay for a ticket to the race and a place to stay that night.”
Four year later, Zilisch will be trading paint on the storied 2.5-mile oval during Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“It’s really full circle for me,” he said.
Now in the spotlight as a 19-year-old phenom, Zilisch was incognito as he watched Austin Cindric win the ’22 500 as a 23-year-old rookie.
“I sat in the grandstands. I didn’t even know enough people to get a pit pass,” Zilisch said. “It just shows how quickly life can change … how crazy things in life can happen.”
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Zilisch’s fast rise on the auto racing ladder has not be by accident. He mastered every level he’s entered, earning a full-time Cup Series ride before most drivers can rent a car.
His résumé suggests he won’t just participate in Sunday’s Daytona 500 — he could contend.
Yet Zilisch’s goals are modest despite outsized expectations.
“We got to be realistic; this is my first start,” he said. “I appreciate the excitement. It’s really cool that there’s a lot of people excited to watch how I’m going to do this season, whether it’s fans or media.
“I do think it sometimes gets a little outlandish.”
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Zilisch himself is partly to blame.
Behind a babyface hides a ruthless closer who has made a habit of parking in Victory Lane.
He won the Karting Academy Trophy in 2020 at age 14. By 2021, he’d shifted to sports cars. In 2022, he added stock cars.
Then came a breakout 2024. Zilisch drove for the winning teams in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class in his first attempts. He captured five of eight ARCA Menards Series starts and, less than two months after his 18th birthday, won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
That September victory at Watkins Glen led to a 10-win 2025 season, highlighted by an Xfinity-record 18 consecutive top-five finishes.
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Zilisch’s skill and poise are a powerful combination.
“I don’t know how his family raised him, but they did a really good job,” Trackhouse House Racing teammate Ross Chastain said. “It’s probably something that we need to study because they turned out a great kid, mature beyond his years — like, it’s not fair.
“Speed on track together with the composure off track is cool to see.”
Polished, polite and well-spoken, Zilisch was engaged and unflappable at media day.
Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson, Zilisch’s idol as a kid, noticed something different the first time the two met.
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“There’s certainly something special about him and his energy and excitement for the job,” Johnson said. “At the same time, so far, the moments haven’t seemed too big.”
Now comes Zilisch’s biggest test yet.
Sunday, he’ll strap into the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse — the number made famous by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Talent alone won’t carry Zilisch. Veteran crew chief Randall Burnett and a strong car will matter, given his inexperience. So will patience.
Daytona has humbled recent prodigies.
Joey Logano was 19 when he made his 500 debut in 2009. A Lap 79 crash left him 43rd. He didn’t win the Great American Race until 2015.
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Kyle Busch was a 20-year-old phenom when he finished 38th during his first start at the Daytona 500, the one race that has eluded the 63-time winner.
Trevor Bayne, just 20, became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in 2011 but would never win another Cup Series race.
Zilisch already has experienced disappointment along the Cup Series learning curve. A crash in his debut at Austin left him last in a 37-car field. Finishes of 23rd at Charlotte and 11th at Atlanta showed progress — but not the dominance he displayed in Xfinity.
“I don’t think I realized how big of a jump it is from Saturday to Sunday,” he said, noting the days when Xfinity (now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) and Cup Series run.
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Zilisch’s biggest misstep in NASCAR’s minor leagues came after his Aug. 10 win at Watkins Glen. He slipped and fell while standing on the roof and door of his car, breaking his collarbone while celebrating his sixth win of the season.
Zilisch had surgery within 48 hours — and won again 13 days later at Daytona in the Xfinity Wawa 250.
A plate remains to secure the bone, but Zilisch’s strength is back to normal.
Only his best will give Zilisch a chance to become the only teen to prevail during NASCAR’s showcase event.
Speed and success have come easily, but Zilisch has never raced on such a big stage. He knows this from experience.
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“Daytona 500 is a different animal,” he said. “Seeing that for the first time was just eye-opening.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.
Daytona 500
When: 2:30 p.m., Sunday
Where:Daytona International Speedway
TV: FOX
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