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Connor Zilisch Lands Full-Time NASCAR Cup Series Ride With Top Team For 2026 Season

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Connor Zilisch

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NASCAR Cup Series garage is now official. Connor Zilisch will compete for Trackhouse Racing full time next season in the Cup Series, replacing Daniel Suarez.

The organization, which currently fields the cars of Suarez, Ross Chastain and road course sensation Shane van Gisbergen, made the announcement on Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway and via press release.

Trackhouse revealed on July 1 that Suarez, a two-time Cup Series winner with the organization, wouldn’t return in 2026.

Since then, garage area speculation has focused on Zilisch likely joining the team next season to fill out its three-car roster.

Trackhouse has won five Cup Series races this year. Van Gisbergen has captured four of them, all coming on road courses. Chastain claimed the biggest win in the company’s history back in May, when he prevailed in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Connor Zilisch Has Earned Cup Series Opportunity With Standout Season In Xfinity Series

Connor Zilisch, 19, is enjoying a remarkable 2025 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series — if you don’t count the broken collarbone he suffered from a frightening tumble he took off the roof of his race car two weekends ago while celebrating a win at Watkins Glen.

But even when things go terribly wrong for Zilisch, they somehow seem to take a positive turn. Case in point: Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Zilisch gave way to a relief driver after just 14 laps, doing so to avoid potentially suffering further injury to his collarbone. But that relief driver, Parker Kligerman, led the field to the checkered flag.

But Zilisch, despite watching the finish from pit road, collected the points and will forever be formally etched in the history books as the race winner. How? He started the race in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. And according to the NASCAR rule book, a driver gets the points and finishing position for a car if he completes the first lap in that car.

So, Zilisch, in the strictest sense, has a series-high seven wins in 2025. And he’s second in the standings, just three points behind teammate Justin Allgaier.

Now, beginning in 2026, the teenager from Mooresville, North Carolina is set to join Trackhouse with Red Bull and WeatherTech as his anchor sponsors. Both companies have served as primary sponsors for Zilisch in 2025. Zilisch is currently a development driver for Trackhouse while essentially on loan to JR Motorsports for the 2025 Xfinity Series season.

How Does Young Driving Sensation Feel About Going Full-Time NASCAR Cup Series Racing?

Connor Zilisch is already making cameo Cup Series starts this year for Trackhouse Racing in addition to his full-time Xfinity Series slate for JR Motorsports. But the teenager couldn’t be more pumped about joining Trackhouse full time next season at the Cup level.

“This day has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Zilisch said. “Cup racing has been the goal since joining with Chevrolet and Trackhouse. And while I didn’t know it would come this soon, I feel like I’m ready.

“I know the challenge that awaits entering the Cup Series as a full-time driver. But I feel that with the support of Trackhouse and Chevrolet, this is the right situation for me. I won’t be making any predictions for success next year. All I promise is to put in 100 percent effort, learn all that I can, plus have a little bit of fun along the way.”

Trackhouse says it plans to announce a car number and crew chief for Zilisch at a later date. For now, though, team officials are just thrilled to have the young hot shoe locked into a multi-year contract to compete for the organization in NASCAR’s premier division.

“Connor is a rare talent that comes along every few decades,” team founder and owner Justin Marks said. “What he is doing with JR Motorsports in Xfinity this season is historic. Connor is very mature, poised, and I know ready for Cup racing in 2026. I can speak for everyone at Trackhouse Racing when I say we have a tremendous amount of faith in this young man.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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