Connor Zilisch isn’t the first or last young prospect touted to be the next big star in NASCAR. Although a huge list of accomplishments in his kitty, he is hungry for more. Zilisch’s rise onto the NASCAR stage has been nothing short of a dream run, and this can be taxing on the young driver with all the hype and attention.

It’s not that Zilisch is young and naïve about how his career has catapulted from being a go-kart driver to a stock car racing sensation. His talent and ability play a role in his plans to reach the highest level of stock car racing. There’s no substitute for hard work, according to him. Like every budding driver, the 18-year-old looks up to Jimmie Johnson as his role model and wants to continue in his footsteps to reach new heights.

Connor Zilisch doesn’t want complacency to creep into his racing journey

Zilisch is having a dream run after his breakthrough on the NASCAR scene; this is indeed a dream run most young drivers dream of. The North Carolina native has a good base and a road map to make it to the Cup Series. He is signed to Trackers Racing and has secured his maiden full-time opportunity in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. So practically, he is in a comfortable spot given that his path to Cup level is more or less secured.

But the young driver certainly knows what it takes to excel at the highest level. This was evident from his answer to Dale Jr’s question regarding his emotions after achieving success at the nascent stage of his career. “There’s one thing that I kinda point out to motivate me. Jimmie Johnson, you know he wins two, three, four championships and doesn’t stop being the hardest worker out there, and that’s one thing I look at,” Zilisch said via the Dale Jr Download podcast.

“Jimmie he continued to work and be the hardest worker, and the success continued, and for me, that’s one thing. It’s tough, right? I’m 18 and I have all this opportunity, and so much stuff is happening around me and so many things for me that I’m doing for the first time, and it’s not always easy, right? It’s gonna be hard,” Zilisch went on to add.

Having won the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and multiple ARCA races, he has set his eyes firm on the bigger picture. It is him reaching the NASCAR Cup Series and continuing his rise, going toe-to-toe against the best in the business.

Zilisch is well aware of his ultimate goal

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In 2024, the young phenom has snagged three wins in the ARCA Menards Series and is scheduled to make his Xfinity debut. Although he has secured his full-time run in the Xfinity Series in 2025, he is focused on making it to the pinnacle of stock car racing, the Cup Series. Moreover, he feels this is where he would have to put in the hard yards and commitment to live up to his billing and expectations.

“You get to the Cup Series, and everybody can win; everybody’s Xfinity champion; everybody’s won truck races; everybody’s won this races that’s gonna be racing next year. But it’s kind of back on my mind, and that continues to push me to be the best because, you know, you have all these kids that are coming up …”

“I wanna continue to work hard. I’m still a long way from where I want to be, and I want to make it to the Cup Series.” Zilisch explained further.

Now that Connor Zilisch has secured a full-time ride, it will be interesting to see how well he fares against the competition, running week-in, week-out.