At just 18, Connor Zilisch has hit the NASCAR scene with the force of a lightning bolt. His debut in the NASCAR Truck Series was remarkable—securing pole position and finishing fourth at the Circuit of The Americas. That wasn’t beginner’s luck; it was raw talent, and it caught the attention of JR Motorsports. Now, as Zilisch prepares to join Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fold for the Xfinity Series, the buzz around him is going beyond the roar of the engines.

Zilisch has every reason to be thankful at the moment, given the kind of run he is having on the tracks. Even Denny Hamlin anticipates Zilisch will become a championship contender once he transitions to the Cup series in the future. But on this Thanksgiving, he will probably save his gratitude for being able to spend time with people close to his heart.

As we can gather, Zilisch spent his Thanksgiving with a budding LSU swimmer and her family. And their cozy pictures are sparking rumors that they might be dating. Just days back, LSU freshman swimmer Lauren Bernardo, who is also from Charlotte, North Carolina like Zilisch, uploaded a carousel of photographs from Thanksgiving celebrations. “Thankful for my peeps🦃🤎,” she wrote. Among the eight snaps, one is particularly intriguing.

In the adorable picture, Zilisch and Bernardo are seen sitting cozily with each other. Not only that but they were also seen in each other’s arms as they were pictured alongside other family members of Bernardo. As the photo reveals, Bernardo’s father Ken, mother Tracey, and sister Ally were also present in a group photo. Ken himself uploaded a few snaps of the Thanksgiving. In one of those, Zilisch was present as well. But ask us another reason to raise the eyebrows.

Just two days back, Ken uploaded a snap of their family where he wrote, “And she’s off … already back at LSU. We love you @lauren._.bernardo! See you in a few weeks for Christmas. #girldad❤️ GEAUX, TIGERS! 🐅.” Guess what? Zilisch was also present in the picture, smiling candidly, and standing just next to him was Lauren, also wearing a wide smile! Early into her swimming career, Bernardo has already started making her mark in the sport.

A backstroke and IM specialist, Bernardo had given her verbal commitment to LSU in January last year and will pursue a degree in construction management. She trained with SwimMAC Carolina and moved southwest to join the Tigers. She was a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School where she became the 2022 Southwestern 4A Conference Champion in the 100 back (59.39) and she placed 6th in the 100 fly (1:02.44). December 2022 was quite eventful for her.

At the 2022 Winter Junior Championships in Greensboro, she blasted lifetime best times in the 200 IM (2:02.64) to place 34th and in the 400 IM (4:27.02) to place 53rd. Bernardo’s lifetime best times would have made her LSU’s top finisher in the 100 back in 37th place and second-fastest finisher in the 200 back at the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships in 33rd place. But, her skills do not lie with swimming only.

Bernardo is a karate ace and has a black belt in martial arts. “It is a big SEC school with many academic and athletic opportunities,” Bernardo said about joining LSU via the university’s official website. “I think the campus is beautiful. The coaching staff is really nice, and they want to help me achieve my swim goals.” With the anticipation of two upcoming sporting talents getting hooked, it is generating nearly as much heat as Zilisch’s tires on the track. Can you imagine how much Zilisch has impressed the NASCAR veterans?

The road ahead is tough, but Connor Zilisch is navigating like a pro

Legendary driver Denny Hamlin gave Zilisch a glowing endorsement, comparing him favorably to Shane van Gisbergen. “I think Connor’s got a leg up on (SVG),” Hamlin said, citing Zilisch’s experience on ovals as a significant advantage. Coming from someone with multiple Cup Series wins, that’s high praise—and a testament to Zilisch’s potential.

So, what’s fueling Zilisch’s sudden success and how does he plan to keep it rolling? Denny Hamlin’s got hopes for him, saying, “So, will he go win 12 races next year in Xfinity? No, I don’t think so. But I mean, Could he win four or five? Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s a very feasible goal considering, you know, the car he’s in and what he’s going to be capable of.” While that might sound like a tall order, but it’s not out of reach—especially with the car he’s driving and his undeniable raw talent.

“It’s definitely not easy, right? I’ve run so many different series and cars but honestly, I think that’s only making me a better race car driver, right? We show up here with 15 minutes of practice and not a lot of time, but when I’m going to the truck it’s all new to me. But it’s really been a three-month process preparing myself for this race with everyone back at Chevrolet, Josh Wise, Scott Speed. We’ve had this circled on the calendar for a long time, so yeah, it feels really good to have this starting off well,” Zilisch said after COTA.

The challenges are no joke, though. Zilisch is in the big leagues now, facing seasoned pros who know the ins and outs of every track. Of course, the pressure is real. The competition isn’t just going to roll over for him; established players will fight tooth and nail to maintain their spots. Zilisch knows that very well and he has already sought professional assistance to maintain his composure.

“That’s one thing I struggled with and I actually had to go to a sports psychologist to talk about it, because I get so nervous and amped up before races that I go out there and just not do my job and completely mess up. So that’s one thing that I’ve really had to work on the last two years is just not getting too amped up in a situation where I may have confidence or whether or not I don’t have confidence and I’m just nervous. So that’s a lot when you look at race car drivers. People might not see that, but the mental aspect of it is way bigger than people think. And I’m thankful to have very, very good people around me that made it easy to kind of stay calm,” Zilisch stated.

Indeed, with support from his team and the experience of legends like Dale Jr., he has everything he needs to succeed. Can he live up to the hype and deliver jaw-dropping performances? One thing’s for sure—the racing world is watching, and the excitement surrounding Connor Zilisch is just getting started. Let’s see how fast he can go!