It may have taken half of the NASCAR Cup Series season to get the job done, but rookie sensation Connor Zilisch just earned his first-ever top-10 finish.
Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing’s star in the making, got off to a rough start in his freshman season in the most competitive motor sports division in America. At only 19 years old, Zilisch entered the 2026 NASCAR season with major expectations, even though he made just three starts in 2025.
Nonetheless, through the trials and tribulations, Zilisch has carried his head held high.
Whenever Zilisch enters a road course, he is at his most comfortable due to his sports car racing background. Last weekend at San Diego and Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway certainly fit right in his wheelhouse.
Zilisch competed in both the Cup Series race and Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event. On Saturday, he started at the rear of the field and charged his way to the front of the pack in JR Motorsports’ No. 1 Chevrolet. However, he was no match for teammate (in both series) Shane van Gisbergen, who defeated Zilisch by approximately 1.3 seconds.
Come Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, Zilisch was ready to go. This was his third start at the road course, and he also won the O’Reilly Series race at Sonoma in 2025.
Throughout the day, Zilisch had one of the fastest cars on track. The key was to keep his No. 88 Chevrolet clean, and he did exactly that. He finished stage two in eighth, and was contending for the lead against van Gisbergen late after the final restart on lap 64.
Though Zilisch’s car lagged on the final long-run of the day, he still managed to keep it in the top 10. When the checkered flag waved, Zilisch crossed the line in seventh, earning the first top 10 of his young NASCAR Cup Series career.
Why Did It Take 18 Races For Connor Zilisch To Earn His First Top 10?
Zilisch, like any rookie, needed some time to adjust to the Cup Series. The cars are completely different from the O’Reilly Series, which he and van Gisbergen alluded to on the “Dale Jr Download.”
Not only has Zilisch lacked speed on weekends, but Trackhouse Racing as a whole has struggled throughout the 2026 season. Even veteran Ross Chastain, known as the most consistent driver on the team, has just one top five and four top 10s. But this is a rebuilding year for the organization, which has new crew chiefs and engineers throughout the team.
Zilisch has an average starting position of 25th, but an average finish of 27.1. It isn’t necessarily that Zilisch has run at the back of the pack week-in and week-out. He’s beegn the victim of getting into trouble early in races. At Michigan, he spun twice in the first eight laps. In the two preceeding events at Charlotte and Nashville, he wrecked out before lap 75. Trouble has just seemed to find him.
Connor Zilisch’s Expectations
Zilisch holds himself to a high standard. But he knows he needs some time to learn the Next Gen car, as well as adjust to the tougher competition in the Cup Series.
âItâs been an up and down first few races,â Zilisch said of the start to his rookie campaign. âWeâve had flashes of potential, and we definitely feel like our Trackhouse racecars are fast. Iâm managing expectations and Iâm showing up and trying to learn as much as possible and be better each lap. If I can get a little bit better each lap and grow as the race goes on, then thatâs whatâs important.
âThe biggest difference is the drivers. The level of talent is higher than anything Iâve ever raced in my entire life. How to be competitive at the highest level is the biggest thing to me.â
But Sonoma may have been exactly what the doctor ordered. Now, Zilisch will have the confidence he needs, knowing he can run at the front of the pack. The second half of 2026, with several tracks that he’ll be visiting for the second time, will certainly make him more comfortable as he looks to put the bad luck behind him.
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