In August, it was announced that Connor Zilisch would be joining JR Motorsports full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2025.
Such a revelation no doubt put some significant expectations on the teenage racer. But Zilisch himself has already amplified those expectations tenfold since then by winning his first Xfinity race from the pole at Watkins Glen International.
Now come the inevitable comparisons. Is he the next Kyle Larson, Jeff Gordon or any other successful young driver? In our instant gratification society, it’s nearly impossible to dismiss the notion that young drivers should win early and often. Such is the case, even though they would benefit from not being on such a short leash without a white-hot spotlight on them.
Undoubtedly, the experience that comes with time will make any racer better, but that’s just not how it works anymore. Rookies who don’t win are often labeled as a bust before the ink dries on their first contract. However, it wasn’t always that way.
Young newcomers winning in NASCAR, especially NASCAR Cup Series races, is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s not that Cup rookies in the past weren’t any good. Unproven drivers simply weren’t handed top level rides like they are now. The best teams hired established veterans. From 1982 though 1998, only once (Davey Allison in 1987) did a driver win during their first full-time season.
It took one hire by Rick Hendrick to change rookie expectations.
Hendrick lured a 20-year-old Jeff Gordon away from the Ford pipeline team of Bill Davis Racing in the Xfinity (then Busch) Series. Gordon was a good prospect but, with just three wins in that division, he had nowhere near the expectations that similar drivers are saddled with now.
Even a great such as Gordon wasn’t great right away. He tore up a lot of rainbow-colored racecars during his rookie campaign, and he didn’t win a race that year. But once Gordon figured it out, he started winning, and he won a lot.
Like any good idea, it spawned a slew of copycats. Everyone wanted to find and hire the next Jeff Gordon. Newcomers like Mike Skinner and Kenny Irwin Jr. found themselves in top rides, but in comparison to Gordon, the results weren’t satisfactory. It begged the question if such a practice really was the best long-term solution.
Then in 1999, Tony Stewart went Cup racing courtesy of Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart, while not extraordinarily young, was a rookie nonetheless, but his performance was spectacular. The 1997 NTT IndyCar Series champion won three times and finished fourth in points, both essentially unheard of feats for a freshman driver.
While Gordon is often credited with beginning the youth influx in NASCAR, it was Stewart who started a run of unprecedented accomplishments for rookies. A rookie driver would win at least one Cup race in eight of the nine years from 1999 through 2007. That list included future stars like Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya. Additionally, Earnhardt, Harvick, Johnson, Busch and Hamlin won multiple times in their maiden seasons.
Not to mention, there came a bevy of young drivers who won in that same era but weren’t necessarily rookies, such as Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch actually had come onto the scene in 2001, making six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at the age of 16. He ended up being a casualty of a rule change that required drivers to be 18 years old to compete in a NASCAR national touring series that took effect prior to the 2002 season. Busch had to spend that year in the American Speed Association (ASA) before re-emerging in NASCAR once he turned 18 in May of 2003.
The wave of success resulted in new drivers constantly getting younger. Joey Logano won an Xfinity race at 18 and inherited the seat Stewart vacated at Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Logano’s season was deemed by many to be a disappointment. Quite a contrast to the expectations of his predecessor a decade earlier.
More recently, drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott, William Byron, Noah Gragson, Cole Custer and more have performed so well in Trucks or Xfinity that anything less than multiple wins and battling for a championship was considered subpar. Hopefully, Zilisch will get a fair opportunity to develop into the Cup competitor he appears capable of becoming.
If he doesn’t, there will certainly be another fresh face coming along ready to hang up their cap and gown in favor of a firesuit.
About the author
Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 20 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future. Follow along with @FrankVelat on Twitter.
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From the early results it appears Connor is a good prospect. Now just let him EARN that next step. Not crash and bash like too many that are currently in Cup. That’s what upsets me, as an old time fan, too many not qualified are now in the top series, diluting the talent and lowering the bar for entry into what should be the best stock car, and in some cases ( Larson) the best driver on the planet.
Junior, make this young phenom truly show you he is ready for that next step, PLEASE! Break the current trend of hiring non- Cup quality drivers. The sport needs your leadership.