AUSTIN, Texas — The finishing order won’t reflect it, but 18-year-old Connor Zilisch looked like a seasoned NASCAR Cup Series veteran in his first-ever Cup start at Circuit of the Americas.
Starting 14th, Zilisch’s rollercoaster day began with a broken toe link after a turn 1, lap one collision triggered by Ross Chastain spinning Chase Elliott from the top five.
But Zilisch remained calm — just as he did when battling adversity in his Xfinity Series win on Saturday (March 1) — and the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing team made speedy repairs that allowed Zilisch to stay on the lead lap.
And once he returned to the track, he began turning some of the fastest laps of the race.
Since 2005, only 6 drivers have run 8+ fastest laps on their Cup debut.
— Daniel Céspedes (@_DanielCespedes) March 2, 2025
Connor Zilisch has already set 8 fastest laps today, and we've just finished Stage 1.
He was running faster laps than leader Tyler Reddick despite heavy damage in the first stage, and he recovered from the incident to restart just outside the top 30 for stage two.
And in a caution-free second stage, Zilisch gained nearly 20 spots to crack the top 15 for the first time since the green flag waved. In picking his way through the field, it took him no more than two laps to pass each car, one-by-one.
He restarted the final stage in 14th, but unfortunately, that was as high as he would climb. Trackhouse teammate Daniel Suarez spun from the top 10 shortly after the restart, and Zilisch was unable to avoid him in a crash that set his car aflame and ended his day on the spot.
A tough end to his debut. pic.twitter.com/lD5Fr6BbAf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2025
“All I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw [Daniel], it was way too late to do anything,” Zilisch said. “I saw him spinning off to the left, and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there, and I guess he flipped back right and started coming towards me.”
But as far as last-place finishes go, it was still a great performance.
“We were one of the top five fastest cars in the second stage there,” Zilisch continued. I went from outside the top 30 to 14th and really felt good about our car. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying.
“… Definitely a lot to take away from [the race], but I’m frustrated that it ended this early.”
Zilisch’s debut may not have ended the way anyone had expected, but his first experience in a Cup car showed that we’ll be seeing him in one for years, if not decades, to come.
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf