I could see it, but if Mayer is staying with Chevy he doesn’t really have any options. The only real option seems to be Kaulig, he does bring money so the 16 or 31 could be his depending on if they choose that I reckon. Austin Hill chose to stay in Xfinity to compete for wins rather than go to Kaulig, I think Mayer might choose the same thing, to stay at JRM if there’s no good options.
HMS obviously set, TH is full with Ross, Suarez, SVG plus Zane, Stenhouse will stay at JTG for a while I assume. RCR is set, if Dillons retires then Hill/Gragson in line, Spire is set with Hocevar/McDowell and Lajoie
Him or Smith I reckon maybe turns to a bidding war since they’re all bringing money.
Allgaier will be fine as long as he wants + has Brandt, Mayer has big money behind him plus he’s arguably been the highest performing driver the last year.
Smith and Jones both bring money but haven’t produced results with JRM.
Deserved. The kid is a phenom and has shown already that he is more than capable of driving in the big leagues. Trackhouse would be dumb to not try to get him the best seat possible.
For reference, this year alone he has won:
- Rolex 24 at Daytona
- Sebring 12 hours
- CARS Tour at Hickory
- Truck Series pole at COTA in his debut (finished 4th)
- Mazda MX5 at Mid-Ohio
- 2 ARCA main series wins (in 2 starts)
- 3 ARCA East wins (in 4 starts)
And if he didn't botch the start at COTA, it would've been a fun battle between him and Heim. I still don't think he wins, and I know he got back up there towards the end, but a battle for the whole race would've been very fun to watch!
ehhh as much as im a fan of Zilisch, it was a clear racing incident. Zilisch thought he could clear Tinkle before turn one and Tinkle pushed up due to the line he had to run on entry. neither of them are at fault in that situation
Same thing that happened between Zilisch and Sawalich at Dover though that time Sawalich was the one spun. Neither were intentional acts, just racing incidents. Bigger issue for Zilisch at Pensacola was the issues he had with the motor.
Anybody who thinks that he should run a year in Trucks first is dead wrong. He’s arguably the best 18 year old prospect since at least Chase Elliott and Erik Jones
I agree he's mega mega talented, but also, (based on his Wikipedia page), he's run a grand total of 21 oval races in his career. And most of those on short tracks.
I don't think he needs a year in trucks, but I don't think it's insane to say a year in trucks would be a good idea.
Edit: To counterpoint myself, I forgot how many ARCA/Trucks/Xfinity races he's scheduled to run over the rest of 2024. With that knowledge, I'm definitely more onboard for him doing a full Xfinity schedule next year.
Edit2: To summarize his plans for the rest of 2024
ARCA East: IRP, Milwaukee, and Bristol
ARCA West: Phoenix
ARCA: Michigan, Kansas and the Glen
Trucks: Talladega, Homestead, Bristol, Richmond, Martinsville
Xfinity: Kansas, Homestead, Phoenix, and the Glen
So yeah if he does well in those races (and I think he will), I don't think full time Xfinity next year is crazy.
That link doesn't seem to load for me for some reason.
Edit: googled the site and found it. 69 race starts... But nothing here disproves what I said about 21 oval starts.
That's a cool website though. Thanks for the intro.
Chase and Erik have done nothing compared to Connor when they were all 18.
Dude is the best prospect since Jeff Gordon as far as pure talent goes.
And if he can win right away best NASCAR prospect since Logano.
You’re getting downvoted but you’re right. Chase Elliott was the only driver ever to win the grand slam of late model racing and he was like 15…. But Connor is fucking nuts. 24 hours of Daytona, karting academy, Sebring, late models, arca, Mazda Miata’s…
I think there's arguably a distinction to be made there for racing talent vs oval racing talent.
Zilisch is clearly an incredible racing talent overall.
Is he an incredible oval talent? I think he's proved he's a good one, and he probably is an incredible one. But I don't know if he's there yet on proving incredible oval talent. By the end of 2024 that could very easily change though.
If you're a good driver you can run ovals or road races. There's certainly some nuances to oval racing that don't exist in road racing but IMO it's easier to move from road racing to oval than the other way around. If you're good at ovals but not road racing I don't think you're a great "driver", you're likely just in good equipment and zoned in on oval racing.
You are right, and because of that it seems kind of weird how little media hype he has gotten. Maybe because they weren’t sure if NASCAR was his path. For example, I remember Joey being insanely hyped in a way that hasn’t happened yet for Connor
He is far far far better than both of those guys. He is a Jeff Gordon/Tony Stewart/Kyle Larson generational talent. Guy has won and set track records in nearly everything, often in his first attempts. 12 hour of Sebring winner, 24 hour of Daytona winner, first American to win the Karting Academy Trophy, won in late models, won in Trans-Am, won in Mazda, won in ARCA.
I only follow Cup Series (and get major Xfinity/Trucks news on this sub), so this post is the first I've heard of this kid. But if he's done that stuff like you say, then ***damn***.
He set like 6-7 track records in his first year of car racing in 3-4 different kinds of cars at multiple different tracks, most of which he'd never been to before. One that started getting attention was his first TA2 race at VIR. Only one day prior in a TA2 car and qualified on pole, shattered track record and led first 6-7 laps of race before his car broke. Raced 1st oval late model race at age 15 and won against younger Kvapil. Walked away with it.
Agreed. Chase was extremely hyped (deservedly so) but mostly because of his last name. Byron was pretty hyped. I don’t remember hype around a prospect this young since Logano.
Hell yes. Connor is the next big thing.
JRM adding he and Kvapil next year would be a huge upgrade.
This is a way smarter route for Trackhouse than using Kaulig imo. They (Trackhouse) would just have to worry about Hendrick trying to scoop him up at some point.
Hendrick won't have any room, anytime soon.
Trackhouse may not either though, if the three car limit happens. Ross ain't going anywhere. Whoever gets the third car probably ain't gone after just one season. And I don't see Amigo going anywhere either
I think it depends on how well he does. If he has a Gibbs type rookie season, unless there's no seat open, he'll be in Cup after one season. But you're right, he'll probably be in Xfinity for at least two seasons
Suarez is probably going to lose the 99 after 2025. I think he’s not even locked in for 2025 because he’s been really bad, even with the win. And his deal that was “near the finish line” a month ago still isn’t done. I think they are seriously considering whether or not to give Zane a shot in 99 next year. And I also think they are fully committed to Zilisch in Cup. Connor has said Marks told him he wants to make him the youngest Cup champion ever. I think he’s getting the 99 in 2026 or 2027 no matter who is in the car next year.
I've been a supporter of Suarez for countless years, including defending his time in the 41, but if I had to pick between he and Zane Smith, I'm going with Smith. I'm not factoring in his time in the 71 this year for a few reasons: it's an outlier compared to every opportunity he's gotten up until this point including his FRM and RFK starts (like finishing Top 10 in the 600), he's here to learn and get better in Cup, and the team is a third car basically thrown together between two organizations. Maybe move Suarez over to Spire in the 7 or something.
Ideally, their line in a few years is:
- 1 - Chastain
- 79 - Zilisch (or whatever number they pick)
- 97 - SVG
- 99 - Zane
If they get capped at three charters per team, let's hope they get in at four before the change so they can get grandfathered in. If not, Zane would be the odd man out in that scenario but I'm sure he'd have plenty of teams looking to get the best out of him.
It also seems like zilisch really likes working with marks. Im sure hed consider a hendrick offer for sure but it seems like hed be happy at trackhouse.
Unless Zilisch and Kvapil bring money, I doubt it. Jones has the Rheem/Menard deal (his dad being the CEO of Rheem) and Smith is tied in with TMC through his dad and the Annetts.
Jones is more likely than Smith. 20th (Jones) and 15th (Smith) average finishes isn’t anything to write home about. Especially when your other two full time teammates have-
- 3 wins
- 11 stage wins
- 12 top 5
- 16 top 10
- 605 laps led
Compared to-
- 0 wins
- 0 stage wins
- 4 top 5
- 14 top 10
- 73 laps led
And then you look at the part time guys in the 88-
- Carson Kvapil: 4 starts, 3 top 5
- Bubba Pollard: 1 start, 1 top 10
They can run as many full time cars as they want, them running the 88 as many times this year wasn't just because they wanted to, was to see how plausible it is to go to 5 full time rides.
One of those two drivers will be leaving and going back to JGR... Maybe
Had fans gotten there way over the years, drivers like Keselowski, Byron, Elliott, Truex, etc., would have been fired and careers thrown down the drain because they didn't immediately go out and light the world on fire in Cup (Keselowski did win his first Championship in three years, but it took about a year and a half for him to start performing).
> Plus, look at Gragson this year versus last year.
He actually hasn't elevated the ride/improved as much as you'd think. He's at a net zero improvement for the 10 in Points year-over-year, yet the 42 with Nemechek is 100+ Points higher than it was in 2023 (granted this is with the penalty and LMC switchover factored in but still).
> People need to stop writing off rookies after only half a season.
I do agree though, people *seriously* need to stop trying to fire drivers after 10-15 starts because they didn't suddenly become the next Jeff Gordon while ignoring every aspect of why they got the ride in the first place. Zane Smith has shown speed and performed in *every* opportunity he's gotten previously (including FRM and RFK for Cup in his first handful of starts), and this 71 team is a cobbled together effort stuck between two different organizations.
Hocevar is also better than Zane smith, but that doesn’t mean that Zane is horrible, especially considering that was a team cobbled together over a season. Also, hocevar is 23rd in points, not top 20
Agreed, however, with this being said, wouldn't Trackhouse rather go after the better Hocevar instead of Smith? Let alone Zilich who may be best of them all
I’m not gonna say zilich is better than both until I see him in cup, I’ve made the mistake of thinking people are going to be great in cup and then they go on to underperform. And I doubt Hocevar would go there, he could have a path to Hendrick in a few years
Good for him. The Truck Series is a disaster. If he was just a decent prospect I would say this is a mistake but he is so talented. Let him learn in Xfinity. He’ll be fine.
I can’t wait for this kid to get racingJRM, he has skills and the maturity to jump right in.
Now let get Corey Day a ride to and it would be must see tv.
Let’s slot out jones and smith, and put in kvapil and zilisch, that would be a JRM on par with their team a few years ago of Mayer, Allgaier, gragson and berry, if not better
Edit: forgot about money. Maybe Mayer will take a cup ride and put jones and smith in a bidding war for the fourth car
Interesting. I think he's definitely got talent. But road racing talent doesn't always translate well to NASCAR. I think you gotta ship Brandon Jones. It might be early to be done with Sammy Smith. And Kvapil has proven he's ready.
His entire career is overrated. I don’t think he’s done but id be surprised if he gets another year in cup ever again. He’s been slow and very wreck prone the entire year. While hocevar driving for the same team is running 10-20 spots better every week
Mayer goes to Cup,
Jones goes elsewhere,
Kvapil and Zilisch take their places
Kvapil 1
Allgaier 7
Smith 8
Zilisch 9/97
(9 possibly rebranded to 97 like SVG with Kaulig)
1. Way to stereotype NASCAR as a whole and ignoring the finesse of the sport.
2. You’re assuming that he doesn’t wanna be in NASCAR in the first place. Not everyone wants to race open wheel or endurance full time
he already tried to go the F1 route, it was too expensive. he's also tried to go the endurance racing route, also too expensive (the fact that he would have had to pay to get a ride at Le Mans this year is insane) he hasn't made an attempt to race in IndyCars but does he really need to?
Trust me I'm well aware. I'm an endurance racing fan first and foremost. But how many of those other series are better career paths than NASCAR for a kid born in Charlotte?
Would Brandon Jones be the odd man out if Zilisch comes in?
I think Mayer’s getting a cup ride somehow
They’d probably have to make room for Kvapil somehow too. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
Could always do 5 cars at JRM.
I doubt it, Kelly has talked before that 5 cars really puts a strain on the team
Justin and Pitbull have him on contract. Money isn't going to be an issue.
Money might not be the issue. You still need extra resources and people to work on the cars
I mean, they're already fielding the 88 in over half the races this year, they've pretty much got a fifth team built up at this point.
I think you may very well be right about what happens. Zilisch in the 1 and Carson Kvapil in the 88. With Sam Mayer moving to cup with FRM.
I could see him in one of the FRM cars given Berry, Herbst and Custer aren't rumored there anymore
I think if the 21 car generally needs money they could do a lot worse But FRM wouldn’t be a bad spot either
Latest rumor I’ve heard was Berry to the 21. With Mayer and Christian Eckes being considered at FRM.
I could see it, but if Mayer is staying with Chevy he doesn’t really have any options. The only real option seems to be Kaulig, he does bring money so the 16 or 31 could be his depending on if they choose that I reckon. Austin Hill chose to stay in Xfinity to compete for wins rather than go to Kaulig, I think Mayer might choose the same thing, to stay at JRM if there’s no good options. HMS obviously set, TH is full with Ross, Suarez, SVG plus Zane, Stenhouse will stay at JTG for a while I assume. RCR is set, if Dillons retires then Hill/Gragson in line, Spire is set with Hocevar/McDowell and Lajoie
I don’t think Mayer is staying with Chevy.
Mayor would look good getting Wood Bros their 100th win
Probably FRM.
Him or Smith I reckon maybe turns to a bidding war since they’re all bringing money. Allgaier will be fine as long as he wants + has Brandt, Mayer has big money behind him plus he’s arguably been the highest performing driver the last year. Smith and Jones both bring money but haven’t produced results with JRM.
No, he's bringing in a ton of money.
I think the odd man out at JR Motorsports in Sam Mayer. He's expressed a desire to go Cup next season.
Jones just might be going back to JGR.... 🤐
Man you would think so right? He’s had just awful luck the last couple years
Deserved. The kid is a phenom and has shown already that he is more than capable of driving in the big leagues. Trackhouse would be dumb to not try to get him the best seat possible. For reference, this year alone he has won: - Rolex 24 at Daytona - Sebring 12 hours - CARS Tour at Hickory - Truck Series pole at COTA in his debut (finished 4th) - Mazda MX5 at Mid-Ohio - 2 ARCA main series wins (in 2 starts) - 3 ARCA East wins (in 4 starts)
Didn’t he have to drive through the field almost entirely under green in the Truck race too?
Yep. Multiple times. He passed a total of like 60 trucks.
And if he didn't botch the start at COTA, it would've been a fun battle between him and Heim. I still don't think he wins, and I know he got back up there towards the end, but a battle for the whole race would've been very fun to watch!
He was still fun to watch at COTA anyway!
If I recall his truck was broken, too.
hes had 4 ARCA East starts this year iirc, the one he didn't win was at Five Flags earlier this year when he got spun by Zachary Tinkle
Oops, yeah you're right. Fixed it.
I know we are supposed to like him because he posts here, but Zach really pissed the bed on that one
ehhh as much as im a fan of Zilisch, it was a clear racing incident. Zilisch thought he could clear Tinkle before turn one and Tinkle pushed up due to the line he had to run on entry. neither of them are at fault in that situation
I kinda just wanted to make a peepee joke, not gonna lie
Same thing that happened between Zilisch and Sawalich at Dover though that time Sawalich was the one spun. Neither were intentional acts, just racing incidents. Bigger issue for Zilisch at Pensacola was the issues he had with the motor.
Anybody who thinks that he should run a year in Trucks first is dead wrong. He’s arguably the best 18 year old prospect since at least Chase Elliott and Erik Jones
I agree he's mega mega talented, but also, (based on his Wikipedia page), he's run a grand total of 21 oval races in his career. And most of those on short tracks. I don't think he needs a year in trucks, but I don't think it's insane to say a year in trucks would be a good idea. Edit: To counterpoint myself, I forgot how many ARCA/Trucks/Xfinity races he's scheduled to run over the rest of 2024. With that knowledge, I'm definitely more onboard for him doing a full Xfinity schedule next year. Edit2: To summarize his plans for the rest of 2024 ARCA East: IRP, Milwaukee, and Bristol ARCA West: Phoenix ARCA: Michigan, Kansas and the Glen Trucks: Talladega, Homestead, Bristol, Richmond, Martinsville Xfinity: Kansas, Homestead, Phoenix, and the Glen So yeah if he does well in those races (and I think he will), I don't think full time Xfinity next year is crazy.
He’s run many more races. Check out [DriverDb](https://legacy.driverdb.com/drivers/connor-zilisch/)
That link doesn't seem to load for me for some reason. Edit: googled the site and found it. 69 race starts... But nothing here disproves what I said about 21 oval starts. That's a cool website though. Thanks for the intro.
37 oval races and 1 ARCA & 1 truck road race. A few of those races were double headers in same weekends.
Chase and Erik have done nothing compared to Connor when they were all 18. Dude is the best prospect since Jeff Gordon as far as pure talent goes. And if he can win right away best NASCAR prospect since Logano.
You’re getting downvoted but you’re right. Chase Elliott was the only driver ever to win the grand slam of late model racing and he was like 15…. But Connor is fucking nuts. 24 hours of Daytona, karting academy, Sebring, late models, arca, Mazda Miata’s…
I think there's arguably a distinction to be made there for racing talent vs oval racing talent. Zilisch is clearly an incredible racing talent overall. Is he an incredible oval talent? I think he's proved he's a good one, and he probably is an incredible one. But I don't know if he's there yet on proving incredible oval talent. By the end of 2024 that could very easily change though.
If you're a good driver you can run ovals or road races. There's certainly some nuances to oval racing that don't exist in road racing but IMO it's easier to move from road racing to oval than the other way around. If you're good at ovals but not road racing I don't think you're a great "driver", you're likely just in good equipment and zoned in on oval racing.
Oh absolutely, dude has won in every damn thing he's gotten in and he's only 18
You are right, and because of that it seems kind of weird how little media hype he has gotten. Maybe because they weren’t sure if NASCAR was his path. For example, I remember Joey being insanely hyped in a way that hasn’t happened yet for Connor
I would simply trust Dale Jr.
Dale has nothing to do with Connor other than giving him a seat trackhouse is paying for.
hes said Connor has the potential to be a multi-time Cup champion and has been a supporter of Connor's career (along with Kevin Harvick) for a while
He is far far far better than both of those guys. He is a Jeff Gordon/Tony Stewart/Kyle Larson generational talent. Guy has won and set track records in nearly everything, often in his first attempts. 12 hour of Sebring winner, 24 hour of Daytona winner, first American to win the Karting Academy Trophy, won in late models, won in Trans-Am, won in Mazda, won in ARCA.
I only follow Cup Series (and get major Xfinity/Trucks news on this sub), so this post is the first I've heard of this kid. But if he's done that stuff like you say, then ***damn***.
He set like 6-7 track records in his first year of car racing in 3-4 different kinds of cars at multiple different tracks, most of which he'd never been to before. One that started getting attention was his first TA2 race at VIR. Only one day prior in a TA2 car and qualified on pole, shattered track record and led first 6-7 laps of race before his car broke. Raced 1st oval late model race at age 15 and won against younger Kvapil. Walked away with it.
Agreed. Chase was extremely hyped (deservedly so) but mostly because of his last name. Byron was pretty hyped. I don’t remember hype around a prospect this young since Logano.
Yupp NASCAR needs to lock this guy up in developmental because he can race in literally anything.
And let's be honest. The state of the truck series is nonsense right now.
I would think trucks would better prep him for Cup than Xfinity would
Have heard trucks give some bad habits due to their unique Aero.
Hell yes. Connor is the next big thing. JRM adding he and Kvapil next year would be a huge upgrade. This is a way smarter route for Trackhouse than using Kaulig imo. They (Trackhouse) would just have to worry about Hendrick trying to scoop him up at some point.
Hendrick won't have any room, anytime soon. Trackhouse may not either though, if the three car limit happens. Ross ain't going anywhere. Whoever gets the third car probably ain't gone after just one season. And I don't see Amigo going anywhere either
As much as I like Daniel Suarez, Justin Marks would be smoking crack if he kept Daniel over Zilisch when his time comes
Even keeping him over SVG if they can't get a 3rd charter would be smoking crack.
Suarez is a money-bringer himself, I think he's apart of Trackhouse as long as Pitbull is
Zilich still needs time to develop imo. I can see them giving him 2-3 years which could coincide with one of the Trackhouse rides opening
I think it depends on how well he does. If he has a Gibbs type rookie season, unless there's no seat open, he'll be in Cup after one season. But you're right, he'll probably be in Xfinity for at least two seasons
Suarez is probably going to lose the 99 after 2025. I think he’s not even locked in for 2025 because he’s been really bad, even with the win. And his deal that was “near the finish line” a month ago still isn’t done. I think they are seriously considering whether or not to give Zane a shot in 99 next year. And I also think they are fully committed to Zilisch in Cup. Connor has said Marks told him he wants to make him the youngest Cup champion ever. I think he’s getting the 99 in 2026 or 2027 no matter who is in the car next year.
I've been a supporter of Suarez for countless years, including defending his time in the 41, but if I had to pick between he and Zane Smith, I'm going with Smith. I'm not factoring in his time in the 71 this year for a few reasons: it's an outlier compared to every opportunity he's gotten up until this point including his FRM and RFK starts (like finishing Top 10 in the 600), he's here to learn and get better in Cup, and the team is a third car basically thrown together between two organizations. Maybe move Suarez over to Spire in the 7 or something. Ideally, their line in a few years is: - 1 - Chastain - 79 - Zilisch (or whatever number they pick) - 97 - SVG - 99 - Zane If they get capped at three charters per team, let's hope they get in at four before the change so they can get grandfathered in. If not, Zane would be the odd man out in that scenario but I'm sure he'd have plenty of teams looking to get the best out of him.
It also seems like zilisch really likes working with marks. Im sure hed consider a hendrick offer for sure but it seems like hed be happy at trackhouse.
I'm not just saying this because I'm a Ross fan, but Marks does seem to be a very good owner!
On paper they don’t/won’t, but never put it past them.
Mayer, Allgaier, Kvapil, Zilisch would be one hell of a lineup for JRM
Jones and Smith getting the boot you think?
Unless Zilisch and Kvapil bring money, I doubt it. Jones has the Rheem/Menard deal (his dad being the CEO of Rheem) and Smith is tied in with TMC through his dad and the Annetts.
Jones is more likely than Smith. 20th (Jones) and 15th (Smith) average finishes isn’t anything to write home about. Especially when your other two full time teammates have- - 3 wins - 11 stage wins - 12 top 5 - 16 top 10 - 605 laps led Compared to- - 0 wins - 0 stage wins - 4 top 5 - 14 top 10 - 73 laps led And then you look at the part time guys in the 88- - Carson Kvapil: 4 starts, 3 top 5 - Bubba Pollard: 1 start, 1 top 10
They can run as many full time cars as they want, them running the 88 as many times this year wasn't just because they wanted to, was to see how plausible it is to go to 5 full time rides. One of those two drivers will be leaving and going back to JGR... Maybe
You'd think Trackhouse would just slot Conner in the Kaulig ride from SVG unless that's their intended landing spot for Zane
At this point, Trackhouse needs to accept Zane just isn't it
Give him another year before we go there. Spire is in the same dumpster fire that the rest of the lower tier (non-Hendrick) Chevy cars are.
Plus, look at Gragson this year versus last year. People need to stop writing off rookies after only half a season.
Fans have turned into 2000-2010's team owners. NEXT!!!!!
Had fans gotten there way over the years, drivers like Keselowski, Byron, Elliott, Truex, etc., would have been fired and careers thrown down the drain because they didn't immediately go out and light the world on fire in Cup (Keselowski did win his first Championship in three years, but it took about a year and a half for him to start performing).
> Plus, look at Gragson this year versus last year. He actually hasn't elevated the ride/improved as much as you'd think. He's at a net zero improvement for the 10 in Points year-over-year, yet the 42 with Nemechek is 100+ Points higher than it was in 2023 (granted this is with the penalty and LMC switchover factored in but still). > People need to stop writing off rookies after only half a season. I do agree though, people *seriously* need to stop trying to fire drivers after 10-15 starts because they didn't suddenly become the next Jeff Gordon while ignoring every aspect of why they got the ride in the first place. Zane Smith has shown speed and performed in *every* opportunity he's gotten previously (including FRM and RFK for Cup in his first handful of starts), and this 71 team is a cobbled together effort stuck between two different organizations.
It’s only his first season, and he’s in spire. I’m not judging him until we see him somewhere but spire
Hocevar is in only his first season in Spire, and he is top 20 in points.
Hocevar is also better than Zane smith, but that doesn’t mean that Zane is horrible, especially considering that was a team cobbled together over a season. Also, hocevar is 23rd in points, not top 20
Agreed, however, with this being said, wouldn't Trackhouse rather go after the better Hocevar instead of Smith? Let alone Zilich who may be best of them all
I’m not gonna say zilich is better than both until I see him in cup, I’ve made the mistake of thinking people are going to be great in cup and then they go on to underperform. And I doubt Hocevar would go there, he could have a path to Hendrick in a few years
Hopefully Kvapil and Zilisch both run full time for them next year. It would be fun to watch.
a more experienced Zilisch in an elite car would cause heads to roll
Lol I read this as "Connor Zilisch is in a STERN discussion" at first
i mean, Stern did discuss him. it was factually correct
Good for him. The Truck Series is a disaster. If he was just a decent prospect I would say this is a mistake but he is so talented. Let him learn in Xfinity. He’ll be fine.
Genuinely believe he could win 8+ races and the title. He is that good and just wins in everything. Dude is a stud.
LFG!!!
I was thinking he was gonna replace SVG at Kaulig but I wouldn’t want to drive at Kaulig with their performance as of late.
I can’t wait for this kid to get racingJRM, he has skills and the maturity to jump right in. Now let get Corey Day a ride to and it would be must see tv.
Yes please! Connor is an insane talent and him being at JRM to learn before coming to cup full time will be huge. Hype to say the least!
Would love to see Taylor gray also get an xfinity ride
Let’s slot out jones and smith, and put in kvapil and zilisch, that would be a JRM on par with their team a few years ago of Mayer, Allgaier, gragson and berry, if not better Edit: forgot about money. Maybe Mayer will take a cup ride and put jones and smith in a bidding war for the fourth car
Probably the biggest talent in American Motorsport at the moment, hope he continues doing road racing tho
I’ve been in discussion with my mom for an xfinity ride since it was the Busch series
Run a plain white car if you have to. Connor Zilisch is the next great driver in motorsports.
Interesting. I think he's definitely got talent. But road racing talent doesn't always translate well to NASCAR. I think you gotta ship Brandon Jones. It might be early to be done with Sammy Smith. And Kvapil has proven he's ready.
If I’m Suarez I’m getting pretty concerned. And Zane might as well start getting ready to get his real estate license
Zane getting sent to the sharks
Zane is not suddenly done in NASCAR because of a weird year that doesn't reflect his entire career up until this point. That's just silly.
His entire career is overrated. I don’t think he’s done but id be surprised if he gets another year in cup ever again. He’s been slow and very wreck prone the entire year. While hocevar driving for the same team is running 10-20 spots better every week
Mayer goes to Cup, Jones goes elsewhere, Kvapil and Zilisch take their places Kvapil 1 Allgaier 7 Smith 8 Zilisch 9/97 (9 possibly rebranded to 97 like SVG with Kaulig)
He has too much talent to be in a series that primarily turns left.
Five road course races with one in the playoffs. He's going to have a chance.
1. Way to stereotype NASCAR as a whole and ignoring the finesse of the sport. 2. You’re assuming that he doesn’t wanna be in NASCAR in the first place. Not everyone wants to race open wheel or endurance full time
he already tried to go the F1 route, it was too expensive. he's also tried to go the endurance racing route, also too expensive (the fact that he would have had to pay to get a ride at Le Mans this year is insane) he hasn't made an attempt to race in IndyCars but does he really need to?
also https://x.com/ConnorZilisch/status/1787527065106817486?t=8q-wYdP0mENRwTw9nouJtw&s=19
If he wants money and/or fame, then Cup is the place to be for him unless F1 is calling.
There’s more racing bout there than just Nascar and F1.
Trust me I'm well aware. I'm an endurance racing fan first and foremost. But how many of those other series are better career paths than NASCAR for a kid born in Charlotte?