When Lewis Hamilton drove down the streets of the Big Apple in a Mercedes car and fans loved it, Red Bull knew they had to pull a trick from up their sleeve. And what better time to do it for their American fans than with their full-fledged return to NASCAR? Entering NASCAR as primary sponsors for Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, Red Bull had the 18-year-old NASCAR prodigy Zilisch drive down the streets of Austin in a NASCAR truck!

For Zilisch, it was a moment of pure delight as he roared past cheering crowds in the middle of a street! Speaking about his partnership with the $18 billion brand, Zilisch had nothing but positive words.

“I’m glad that they’re putting trust in Trackhouse and, and coming back into it and giving it another shot because, you know, I do feel like NASCAR is, is a great place for Red Bull to be. And it’s really cool that they put trust in me at such a young age to go out there and represent their brand. And you know, they do it differently than everybody else when it comes to marketing,” Zilisch said in a recent interview with Kevin Harvick, sharing his experience representing Red Bull in his first Cup Series race.

Back in 2024, Red Bull picked a 17-year-old Zilisch as the latest addition to the long list of top-tier athletes that have been sponsored by Red Bull, joining the ranks of athletes such as F1 world champion Max Verstappen and Colorado’s Kris Bryant, and many more. Red Bull boasts a worldwide sports portfolio that no other sponsor can match and this partnership will give Zilisch the resources and exposure he needs to succeed in the world of racing. With the media exposure and financial backing of the team, Zilisch can secure his long-term future in the 

But, that job also comes with its gimmicks. Part of being a Red Bull driver is marketing stunts and videos. Who can forget David Coulthard doing donuts on top of the Burj Al Arab? Even Zilisch had to take part in one such activity, although it was nowhere near risky. Before the race at COTA, Zilisch took part in a promotional event organized by Red Bull which saw him driving a 1975 Chevy Truck through downtown Austin, a challenge which was both challenging and unique. 

Speaking about the gimmick, Zilisch said, “I had to drive the trailer on an or the car on an open trailer through downtown Austin, which was for a guy like me, I’m not a CDL truck driver. So driving that through downtown Austin wasn’t very fun. But it’s so cool to have a brand like Red Bull, you know, sponsoring me and SVG and coming back in the NASCAR after such a, I don’t want to say unsuccessful first go at it, but you know, it definitely didn’t go as they planned. They dumped a lot of money into it and you know, that didn’t equal results. We had a big party on Friday evening. You know, there were 400 or 500 people at this place in downtown Austin. I only stayed for an hour, but they went till 2:00 in the morning with, you know, all these Red Bull people and, you know, people in town. So yeah, they definitely do it differently, which is really cool. And it’s fun to be a part of. But I’m still getting used to it as well.”

It will now be up to Zilisch and SVG, the other driver Red Bull is sponsoring, to ensure their performances keep Red Bull interested in the sport. Their initial venture into NASCAR was not successful, with only 2 wins in 4 years, as compared to 4 championships of their sister team in Formula 1 they had racked up by 2014. With this unsuccessful foray into the world of stock car racing, Red Bull decided to shut down its NASCAR project. Now, with Zilisch on board, they can develop a real project and back a long-term driver just as they did with Max Verstappen, someone who can create a racing dynasty. 

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks was also excited about the return of the energy drink giant to the sport. “This is bigger than Trackhouse, this is bigger than Red Bull alone…This is just a big moment for the sport of NASCAR. I mean, you know, it’s influential and it’s a big moment for all of us. For the fans, the teams, the media partners. for everybody. That Red Bull has made the commitment to dive back in because I think everybody knows, you know, they don’t do anything small,” Marks said in a recent interview.

And the commitment is clear. Shane van Gisbergen, who after transitioning from Australian V8 supercars is in his second season in NASCAR, paid off Red Bull’s support in their return to NASCAR. Although they didn’t sponsor his car for the 2023 Chicago, SVG has been a part of their system since 2016. Now, with the team sponsoring Cup Series cars, SVG’s ambitions are clear. “I’d love nothing more than to give Red Bull a victory as a way to thank them for joining myself, Connor and Trackhouse Racing.” 

As Red Bull makes its return to the sport after 14 years, everyone is eager to see if they can avoid the failure of their last return to NASCAR. And while COTA was something of a mixed bag for Zilisch, what did the driver say about his performance?

Connor Zilisch reflects on eventful Cup debut

Back in 2024 at The Glen, no one expected Connor Zilisch to nick the race win and announce himself as a leading road course expert. Less than a year after that performance, Zilisch already is making a name for himself. He won the Xfinity race at COTA this year as well. His Cup debut, on the other hand, didn’t go so well.

A crash with Daniel Suarez and a quick fall down the leaderboard meant that Zilisch’s debut ended as a horror show DNF. With Red Bull sponsoring his debut, Zilisch quickly put out an apology about his performance.

“Obviously, it takes a lot of money and it’s the fourth car that Trackhouse doesn’t run very often so it’s tough on the team and they obviously have three cars that they want to go and show up to the track with and compete with every week and put full focus toward those. As much as I want to run another road course … I don’t feel like I have a ton to really learn on road courses. And obviously racing on Sunday, I learned a lot against some of the best in racing against those guys but I would learn a lot more on an oval.”

Despite the wreck, there are still a lot of positives to take away for the young driver, and the coming Xfinity season can show just that.