“Such an impressive driver,” Dale Earnhardt Jr said about a young NASCAR prodigy recently. After achieving trailblazer finishes in his journey, Connor Zilisch is gearing up for the next big chapter in his journey. But even though Zilisch cannot thank his NASCAR idols like Dale Jr enough, he hails his F1 inspiration in equal regard. The youngster was propelled to racing by F1 stars like Lewis Hamilton.

Besides his unbridled respect for Hamilton, Zilisch’s love for the racetrack was fuelled even more by his own experience. He spent his teenage years making his dreams come true in Europe, which ultimately brought him over to NASCAR.

Zilisch wanted to be like Lewis Hamilton

Connor Zilisch hopped in a go-kart at the age of four. After a decade of practicing his karting skills, he hopped into a Spec Miata in 2021 to launch his career. That year, he finished third in the highly competitive Spec Miata class at the SCCA Nationals, won a scholarship at the MX-5 Cup Shootout, and won the pole in his first-ever Trans-Am TA2 race. All these early achievements came out of a deep love for racing, and a dewy-eyed admiration of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

7-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is in a resurgent phase, clinching two wins this year after a 945-day winless streak. On the other hand, Max Verstappen holds 3 world championships and won the 3rd straight Canadian Grand Prix in June. So Zilisch declared his fanboy emotions to Dale Jr recently. “The pinnacle of go-kart racing is Formula One. Every kid that starts in go-karts wants to race in Formula One – they all want to go to Europe and race the Formula latter series…be the next Lewis Hamilton, be the next Max Verstappen. For me as a kid, that was my dream as well,” he said, speaking at the Dale Jr Download podcast.

Connor Zilisch did not stop until turning his dream into reality. In 2020, he participated in an international F1 event and he recollected that incident while speaking to Dale Jr. “I go there, I think I qualify 11th or something like that. Out of a 164 karts, I’m like man, I think I got a chance at this…I ended up finishing second on track but the kid in front of me got a penalty – he moved me on the last lap…So I end up winning this race, the biggest race in the world for kids my age.” So, following Lewis Hamilton as an idol paid off after all, and this win further fueled his racing pursuits.

Interestingly, Kimi Antonelli finished 20th in that race. Now, Antonelli is a big F1 name, under consideration to replace Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. However, Connor Zilisch had to switch from F1 to Late Models in 2022, because of the exorbitant expenses. But that does not mean he is not a fan of the roaring crowds.

Zilisch puts a dampener on NASCAR fans

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NASCAR is usually known for its feisty fanbase, right? The nostalgia and golden memories surrounding the sport’s 76-year-old existence pull fans to racetracks. However, Connor Zilisch believes the crowd could add some more numbers. His trip to the Formula One racetrack gave him a fresh racing experience – and an eagle’s eye perspective. Zilisch boldly stated earlier this year that F1’s booming fanbase makes NASCAR look like a “county fair.”

He explained that the big buck is probably driving F1’s success in this regard. “It was crazy how much money goes into every event in F1. I don’t think it’s really possible to do that for us just because … NASCAR isn’t F1. But a lot of the hospitality stuff that they do, making it truly a fan experience, giving the people that are willing to spend that kind of money to come to the races and have that kind of experience, giving them somewhere to go would definitely be helpful.”

Yet Connor Zilisch did give brownie points to NASCAR over other series like IMSA or IndyCar. The 18-year-old is evidently attracted to fame, as he said, “I feel like it’s (NASCAR) the biggest form of motorsports in North America. I feel like that’s what makes it appealing to me.”

Already trumpeting his fabulous resume as a young speedster, Connor Zilisch would be bound for more fame and glory from his full-time Xfinity career next year.