DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Connor Zilisch has created many memorable moments that many would consider surprising.
From winning seven races to missing two races (actually more like 1.8 races) because of injuries (one from falling off his car), Zilisch has had a wild year. A year in which he just turned 19 years old.
He had another memorable moment on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway when Trackhouse Racing officially announced that he would race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026.
The announcement wasn’t a surprise, as the team had already announced that Daniel Suarez would not return. Despite it not being a shock, Zilisch, who moved to Europe before he was a teenager to race go-karts, teared up and sobbed at part of the news conference.
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“I never thought I would make it anywhere in racing,” Zilisch said. “My parents have been behind me since Day 1 through every moment, the good, the bad. There were many times I questioned why I left school, left my friends to make this commitment … and try to chase a dream of racing in motorsports.
“I never knew what was ahead of me. There were times five years ago where I thought I was going to go to college and live the life of a normal kid.”
Zilisch said he was emotional because even though he knew the announcement was coming, it took so much to get to this point.
“I had a feeling I would [cry],” Zilisch said. “It’s cool. I knew the whole world knew already, but still to be able to say it and have my name next to the word ‘Cup Series’ is really cool.
Xfinity driver Connor Zilisch will take his talents to the NASCAR Cup Series as a full-time driver in 2026.
“I wasn’t going to try and hide from it, but it’s just a day that I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. And I’m not going to let the idea that everybody already knows take away from the moment.”
A car number for Zilisch was not announced. He currently drives the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, but that number is already being used in Cup by his teammate, Shane van Gisbergen.
The team could move that number to Zilisch. As a young driver, there’s the potential that a historical number like that one would be a good fit to carry him through his career. In that case, the three-time Supercar champion SVG would be moved to another car number.
Zilisch is second in the Xfinity Series standings and has a series-high seven wins, one of which came Friday night when he drove just the first 13 laps but relinquished the driving duties to Parker Kligerman.
He fell off his car celebrating in victory lane at Watkins Glen two weeks ago and broke his collarbone. The fear of injuring his collarbone, which is not completely healed, had his team determine he should get out of the car.
The top Cup prospect in a FOX Sports ranking earlier this month, Zilisch has raced this season for JR Motorsports while under contract with Trackhouse. Zilisch also has made three Cup starts, with a best of 11th at Atlanta.
Sponsors WeatherTech and Red Bull will continue with Zilisch.
“Just every car he’s gotten in, he’s figured out a way to win,” said team co-owner Justin Marks.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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