NASCAR fans have witnessed many types of drivers. While some stand out with their coming-of-age, others just enter the racing world with a bang. Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsports is ready to set a phenom loose in NASCAR’s Xfinity Cup Series 2025. He is just 18 years old, yet his impressive skills have surprised the world. This young prodigy from Charlotte, North Carolina, is not a generational talent, but much more than that. He won the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class the very first time he contested!

The young start is Connor Zilisch, the 2024 Watkins Glen International play-off winner. With his team all sorted out, he is ready to dominate the 2025 Xfinity Series. In a recent interview with Frontstretch journalist Phil Allaway, Connor Zilisch revealed how he envisions the year ahead, and the types of races he wants to participate in, and addressed a serious concern fans had about his career.

Zilisch feels more settled in 2025

Justin Marks signed Connor Zilisch as the development driver for his team Trackhouse Racing. He acquired Chip Ganassi Racing in 2022, adding vital assets, such as equipment and charters to his former team. Marks transformed the team into a two-car operation. After Zilisch’s 2024 Xfinity run, Marks introduced him to Red Bull Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen, who took him to the Chicago Street Race as a viewer. But, for the 2025 Xfinity Cup Series, the young prodigy has been leased out to Trackhouse’s co-owner Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsports and fans are furious, thinking Marks is slowing him down.  

Addressing these concerns, Connor Zilisch has defended Marks, saying, “You know, Justin (Marks) is not slowing me down. He is not the reason I won’t be racing in other series. It’s just that I have got a lot of big things ahead of me in NASCAR, so it’s definitely important for me to focus on that.” He wants to be much more than a racer and give time to his life outside NASCAR. Justin has no reason to slow him down. He wants Zilisch to experience racing from the side of one of the best NASCAR drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr.  

Justin Marks might feel that Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be a better mentor to the young Zilisch, considering their racing styles are similar. Well, to hone your skills you first need a teacher who fully recognizes them. Only then you can understand how to implement them, and what areas to brush up on. Being a racer himself, Marks will never allow a potent racer to lose his groove, will he? The fixtures for NASCAR 2025 are already out and Connor Zilisch is ready to hop into action.

What does Connor Zilisch’s 2025 NASCAR journey look like?   

Connor Zilisch added, “This year with the Xfinity Series, I will be a lot more settled in… and be able to focus my attention more so to just that and chasing a championship. So, um definitely gonna be helpful on that end but, you know, I really had fun last year bouncing around and going from car to car.” At the beginning of 2025, he gained his full affiliation with Chevrolet. In 2024, he participated in all formats he could get his hands on. The champ won in the Xfinity playoffs under JRM and also secured a 4th place finish in the Truck series for Spire. 

The interview also showed Zilisch saying, “So, I still wanna be more than just a NASCAR driver. But, I am excited to go out there and be able to focus on one series.” He will take part in the Rolex 24 if given a chance. However, he firmly has the Xfinity Series in his sights for 2025. After giving everyone a scare in the 2024 playoffs with a surprise win, he looks like a serious threat for the title.

These are prospects and speculations about Connor Zilisch’s future. But he is going to be much bigger than this. What are your expectations from Connor Zilisch and JRM in 2025?