Connor Zilisch made a stunning NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen, taking the win in his first-ever NASCAR race. While the road course might have played to his strengths, Zilisch still beat experienced Cup Series drivers like William Byron, Joey Logano, and Ross Chastain, in the Shriners Children’s 200 last Sunday.

His impressive performance has sparked fan speculation that Zilisch might be ready for the Cup Series. However, despite the buzz, Joey Logano, one of the drivers Zilisch beat in the Xfinity race, isn’t convinced he’s ready just yet.

Logano’s only reservation about promoting the star driver is the fact that he still needs experience. The No. 22 Penske driver was talking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and that’s where he said, “I say it all the time, the Cup level, from the Xfinity level, is the biggest jump in motorsports you will make, at least going up through like the NASCAR ranks and how you come up, right, late models, to trucks, to Xfinity, you know, to Cup, that’s the biggest one.”

Joey Logano further explained how the Cup Series has some of the best drivers in the world, and to survive in that climate, Zilisch will need to broaden his track knowledge. So far we have seen the Watkins Glen Xfinity Series winner outperform every driver on the grid on the road course circuit. But as Logano put it, “The road course is just one piece of the puzzle.”

According to the two-time Cup Series champion, Connor Zilisch should continue in the Xfinity Series and “not get thrown in there [Cup Series] too quickly to where it damages him.”

Joey Logano, who won the Atlanta Cup Series race a week before Zilisch won at the Glen, also spoke about the latter needing to gain experience on the half miles, superspeedways, and raceways before taking the next step. It’s not only the track knowledge that Logano believes Zilisch lacks but also how strategies and preparation for races go.

Joey Logano believes that Connor Zilisch still has time

Connor Zilisch is just 18 years old, and he has made quite a name for himself in the motorsports world. From his days in ARCA to his debut race and win in NASCAR, the young driver’s talents were never a question. But being at that young age, Joey Logano believes that Zilisch should take small steps.

Zilisch has a long career ahead of him, and he is barely getting started. Compared to drivers who have raced for longer than he has lived, the Xfinity race winner has time on his hands. Joey Logano explained that, as an 18-year-old, he too wanted to jump to the Cup, but the experience that he gained in his time in the Xfinity Series, as Joey Logano too has some major achievements in his early days.

• First NASCAR driver born in the 1990s to compete in NASCAR’s three major divisions.
• Second-youngest Daytona 500 winner, only older than Trevor Bayne after winning in 2015
• The youngest-ever to win in both Tier 1 and Tier 2

As for Connor, his experience so far comes from ARCA. Zilisch has 5 ARCA Menards Series wins in six starts this season, on tracks like Dover, Iowa, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Michigan, and Watkins Glen. So, it’s not that Logano doubts Zilisch’s skill in the Cup Series, and he also goes ahead to say, “I think if you put him in a cup car on a road course, he’s going to be fine. I don’t think it even like he’d be up there in contention right off the bat.” However, there was a “but” clause there, as Logano explained that there are only a handful of road courses on the calendar.

Logano suggests that while Connor Zilisch’s victory at Watkins Glen is impressive, he must gain experience on traditional NASCAR ovals before making the jump to the Cup Series. Spending more time in Xfinity would allow Zilisch to master these tracks and build his skills.

Logano believes that with his whole career ahead of him, Zilisch would benefit from this additional experience. Do you agree with Logano’s take on Zilisch’s readiness for the Cup Series?