Connor Zilisch, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver widely considered an up-and-comer in the sport, received some welcome news on Wednesday.
Trackhouse Racing, which counts Zilisch as one of its development drivers and has essentially loaned Zilisch out to JR Motorsports for the 2025 Xfinity season, announced that it will field a NASCAR Cup Series entry for the 18-year-old driver in two upcoming races.
Zilisch has already made a pair of Cup starts for the organization, with the first coming in early March at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and the most recent coming in late May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Driver Gearing Up For Return To NASCAR Cup Series This Summer
Looking to give Connor Zilisch more seat in NASCAR’s premier division in preparation for a possible future move to the Cup Series, Trackhouse Racing will stick him in the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet at newly named EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) on June 28.
Driving the same car, Zilisch will make his next appearance on the road course at Watkins Glen International on August 10.
“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to race two more times in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Zilisch said in a team release.
So stoked. Two awesome tracks I get to experience in the cup car with @redbull!! https://t.co/UOxtKj3yHD
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) June 4, 2025
Darian Grubb, a former NASCAR Cup Series champion and Daytona 500-winning crew chief who served as crew chief for Zilisch at COTA and Charlotte, will lead the team at EchoPark Speedway and Watkins Glen.
“Nothing beats experience in this sport especially at the Cup level,” Zilisch said. “Thanks to everyone at Red Bull and Trackhouse for this opportunity.”
Zilisch has certainly made the most of his opportunity in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports (JRM). In 17 outings with the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned team, he’s posted eight top-10 finishes that include six top-fives and two wins. He owns four poles, including three this season.
Connor Zilisch Has Proven To Be A Quick Study In NASCAR Xfinity Series
Connor Zilisch wasted no time finding Victory Lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He did so in his series debut, which came with JR Motorsports, when he prevailed from the pole last September at Watkins Glen. In three more starts for the company last year, he finished fourth on two occasions and came home no worse than 12th.
That was enough to convince JRM to give him a full-time Xfinity Series ride for 2025 in partnership with Trackhouse Racing, another Chevrolet organization.
Zilisch picked up Xfinity Series career win No. 2 earlier this year at COTA — the day before making his Cup Series debut.
His ticket to the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs already punched by virtue of his win, Zilisch is currently fifth in the standings. That’s an impressive ranking, considering he missed the May race at Texas Motor Speedway while nursing a lower back injury suffered in a crash the previous weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
In his first race after returning from his injury, Zilisch finished second at Charlotte. Last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, he did the same. And, by all appearances, the best for Zilisch has yet to come.
