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Born in Weddington, North Carolina, Connor Zilisch practically grew up at the track. Connor Zilisch's journey in racing began at the age of 5 as he started competing in go-karts at the age of five in 2011, and was already turning heads in the karting world, showcasing a maturity and skill far beyond his years. His parents, Jim and Kristin, played a huge role, balancing family life with the endless travel that comes with competitive youth motorsport. But it wasn’t just family support that fueled Connor’s rise. His coach and mechanic, Gary Willis, was instrumental in shaping him into a karting prodigy. Over eight years, Willis guided Zilisch through an impressive career. That included representing the U.S. in the prestigious FIA Academy Trophy. In 2016, at just 11, Connor made history as the first American to win the Academy Trophy, cementing his status as one of the brightest talents in karting. After cutting his teeth in the SCCA, he earned a Mazda scholarship to race in the MX-5 Cup. At just 15, he became the youngest driver in the 2022 season. Racing against seasoned

veterans, Zilisch made an immediate impact, earning Rookie of the Year honors and coming heartbreakingly close to clinching the championship in a dramatic finale. He would spend 10 years racing karts before moving up to cars in 2021. Zilisch karted primarily in the United States until 2017 when he won the Mini Rok World Championship in South Garda, Italy, competing against more than 160 other competitors from 33 different countries. He returned to Europe to race primarily in the FIA OKJ class in 2018–2020 and made the "A" final in the OKJ World Championship in both 2019 and 2020. In 2020, he also became the first ever American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, a three race series where competitors from all over the world all race on identical equipment. Zilisch's mother,

Janice Kerr, was a gymnast on the Canadian women's national artistic gymnastics team and a member of the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships tenth-place team. She was the NCAA Southeast Region all-around champion in 1987 and 1988. Kerr was named the Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990, one of only four Florida Gators to have won the award. Zilisch began racing cars in early 2021 with the Sports Car Club of America in the Spec Miata class and quickly began showing strong results, setting 3 track records and reaching the podium multiple times. At the SCCA Run-offs in Indianapolis that year, Zilisch finished third out of ~ 90 cars in the competitive Spec Miata class and shortly thereafter was named the SCCA Jim Fitzgerald Rookie of the Year. Zilisch also competed in the

Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout competition, in late 2021, winning the $110,000 scholarship which would fund his participation in the series in 2022. In late 2021 Zilisch also ran his first Trans Am TA2 race at Virginia International Raceway earning pole position, while shattering the track record as a rookie driver. He led the race early until a mechanical issue forced him to retire early, however, his performance in the race led to his being invited to race TA2 full-time for Silver Hare Racing in 2022. In the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, Zilisch recorded four wins on the season, and

nearly won the championship in the last race of the season at Road Atlanta. In that race, Zilisch needed to finish at least three spots ahead of Jared Thomas to win the $250K championship prize, and on track he did that, finishing sixth to Thomas' ninth-place finish, however a post-race penalty to Alex Bachoura (who finished in between Zilisch and Thomas) ended up moving Thomas up one position, and handing him the championship. Zilisch won $85K for second place and was also named the Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year for 2022. Zilisch, when not driving himself, is a driver coach to younger drivers in the Karting

ranks. Zilisch began racing sports cars in 2021, adding stock cars to his program the next year. In June 2022 Zilisch would make his Pro Late Model debut in the #4 for Setzer Racing and Development, at Orange County Speedway with the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, where he would win the pole, and led all the laps, en route to his first career victory in an Asphalt Late Model overall and Pro Late Model. In 2022, Zilisch began racing late model cars to prepare him for a potential path to NASCAR. He would start to run Late Model Stock Cars in the #57 for Carroll Speedshop. He would score two wins on the year, both coming at Hickory Motor Speedway as well as two other podium positions. For 2023, Zilisch would return to the

#25 for Rackley WAR running select events in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour. He would win at Ace Speedway in his second start of the season holding off Caden Kvapil to do so. Also in 2023, Zilisch would return to the #57 for Carroll Speedshop on a part-time basis in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. At Hickory Motor Speedway during the Throwback 276, Zilisch would run a throwback to the #98 Dogecoin car driven in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014 by his current driver coach Josh Wise. In August, 2023, it was announced Zilisch would make his ARCA Menards Series

debut in the #28 for Pinnacle Racing Group, at that weekend's race at Watkins Glen. Zilisch qualified second behind Corey LaJoie and then went on to dominate the race, leading 34 out of the race's 42 laps, and barely lost the race, after getting moved in the final corner of the final lap from the lead, by Jesse Love going on to still finish second, despite an ill handling car affected by a broken front sway bar. In 2024 Zilisch was part of a team that wheeled a LMP2 entry in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He paired with Ryan Dalziel, Dwight Merriman, and Kyle Tilley. They completed 767 laps to win their class, and finish ninth overall, the top five in the LMP2 class all finished on the

same lap in a very tight race. The second race would be the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Zilisch paired with Dalziel and Merrimann again to win the LMP2 class; in a tight battle as the top nine finishers in their class finished on the same lap. In March, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would return to Pinnacle Racing Group to run a full season in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the #28 car. In his first start at Five Flags Speedway, he missed practice and qualifying due to being at Circuit of the Americas for the NASCAR Truck Series race, and was replaced by Luke

Fenhaus. Zilisch was able to make the race but struggled with mechanical issues throughout the event and finished fourth, two laps down. In his next race at Dover Motor Speedway, Zilisch took advantage of the leader's mishaps and led the final 42 laps of the event to earn his first career win in both the main and East Series. At the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Zilisch qualified fourth and ran in the top three throughout the event, but did not have the car to beat the eventual race winner William Sawalich, he finished third behind Isabella Robusto. He rebounded the

following race at Flat Rock Speedway, where he would go on to obliterate the competition, winning the pole and leading every lap of the race to earn his second career win. He continued with a hot streak of victories, winning the next two East Series events at Iowa Speedway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, both in dominating fashion. At Michigan, his first start on an intermediate racetrack, Zilisch passed Tanner Gray late in the event and held off a charging Andrés Pérez de Lara in the final laps to score another victory, continuing his winning streak of 4–4 in the ARCA Series. After a second place finish at Milwaukee, he ended up winning a fifth race when the series went to Watkins Glen. Zilisch signed a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing, where he serves as a developmental driver. His developmental program for 2024 and 2025 encompasses races in prestigious events such as the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Truck Series, ARCA, CARS Tour, Trans-Am, and IMSA. On March 15, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a three-race

schedule for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the #7 truck, including a race at Homestead–Miami Speedway in a coordinated entry fielded by Spire. He made his debut at Circuit of the Americas, shocking the field after winning the pole in his first career start, with a lap of 2:11.983, seven tenths faster than the second-place driver of Corey Heim, and was also the track record. On the first lap, Zilisch locked up his brakes and ultimately missed the first corner, losing the lead and falling to the back. He battled through many mid-race struggles, including penalties and spins. He would pass the most trucks throughout the entire race, and eventually made it back to the top five in the final stages. He was unable to catch the eventual winner (Heim), and settled for a fourth-place finish in his series debut. Following his performance, Spire added three more races to Zilisch's schedule, which includes Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville. In March 12, 2024, it was announced that Zilisch would run a four-race slate with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the #88 car. Following his 18th birthday on July 22, Zilisch competed in the races at Watkins Glen, Kansas, Homestead–Miami, and the season finale at Phoenix. At Watkins Glen, Zilisch won the pole, led the most laps, and saved enough fuel in two overtime restarts for the win in his Xfinity Series debut, becoming the first driver in over three years (Ty Gibbs at the 2021 Daytona RC race) to win in their Xfinity Series debut. In August, 2024, it was announced on The Dale Jr. Download that Zilisch will drive the #88 car for JRM full-time in 2025. In December, it was announced that Zilisch will drive a Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD Pro class in the 2025 Rolex 24 At Daytona alongside Shane van Gisbergen, Ben Keating and Scott McLaughlin in a joint partnership between Trackhouse Racing and TF Sport. While JR Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing are carefully managing his development, there’s no denying Connor’s stock is rising. If he keeps performing like this, he’ll soon be on the radar of every top team in the sport. For now, though, his multi-year agreement with Trackhouse ensures he’s in good hands as he continues to grow. The future looks promising for this young and talented racer as he continues to make his mark in the world of motorsports. With a packed schedule that includes Xfinity, endurance racing, and potentially more ARCA and Trans Am starts, 2025 will be a pivotal year for Zilisch. If his past is any indication, it’ll be a year filled with wins, milestones, and maybe even a few records.

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CONNOR JACKSON ZILISCH - 7/22/2006 -