Trackhouse Racing signs rising star Connor Zilisch

The team competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Last year, they also signed Supercars ace Shane van Gisbergen and 2022 NASCAR Truck Series champion Zane Smith.

Zilisch, 17, becomes the latest driver to join Trackhouse, signing a multi-year development deal. This will include starts in the the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series, as well as the CARS Tour, ARCA, Trans-Am and IMSA over the course of the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

“I have watched Connor grow from a youngster racing go-karts at the Trackhouse Motorplex to an up-close seat as he beat all of us in the Trans-Am race at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) a few months ago,” said Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks.

“This kid is an amazing talent who we wanted to be a part of the Trackhouse family. We are going to go slow with Connor and make sure he’s fully prepared as he advances in what we believe will be a long racing career.”

Zilisch was the MX-5 Cup championship runner-up in 2022, also claiming Rookie of the Year honors. The following year, he won four races in ten starts. He also made his ARCA debut in 2023, competing at Watkins Glen International. He finished second after leading 34 of 42 laps.

The teenager also won five of the 13 Trans-Am TA2 events he entered last year, driving for Silver Hare Racing. Trackhouse has entered select Trans-Am events with Marks as driver, winning multiple races for the team.

In 2023, he also won five of the 13 Trans-Am Series TA2 races he entered with Silver Hare Racing, as well as dominated the Trans-Am Series TA class race at Virginia International Raceway on Oct. 7. He made history in Trans-Am, becoming the youngest driver to win a TA race in his first career start in the class and the first to win races in two different classes in a single weekend.

Zilisch will run the IMSA Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona later this month, driving an LMP2 entry for Era Motorsport alongside co-drivers Ryan Dalziel, Christian Rasmussen, and Dwight Merriman.

This is a dream come true,” said Zilisch. “I can’t thank Justin [Marks] and everyone at Trackhouse Racing enough for giving me this opportunity. It has been a pleasure to spend the last two years racing with Chevrolet and I am thrilled to extend that relationship. I have a lot to learn, but I don’t think there is a better place for me to learn than with Trackhouse Racing.”

Trackhouse Racing was formed ahead of the 2021 NASCAR season, and has since won six Cup races (Four with Chastain, one with Suarez and van Gisbergen). They ended 2022 as the NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-ups with Chastain. As part of their continued expansion, they have entered MotoGP as Aprilia’s satellite team, taking over from the defunct RNF squad.