“Jury’s Still Out” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Picks Out the Hitch in NASCAR’s Next Big Kid’s Trajectory

Back in January 2024, Trackhouse Racing signed up 17-year-old Connor Zilisch with a multi-year deal to develop his racing skills. And it’s barely been a few weeks since JR Motorsports rolled out the welcome mat for Zilisch to join them for four Xfinity races this year. And well, he has shown everyone that they made the right call! After blazing through qualifying and breaking records at COTA, the young driver clinched a top-5 finish in the XPEL 225. 

Connor Zilisch is quickly making a name for himself as NASCAR’s next big thing, drawing praises from Kyle Larson for his standout performance during qualifying. And now, even Dale Earnhardt Jr is jumping on the bandwagon, hinting that Zilisch might just be the fresh face leading the new generation of drivers. But Junior did not come without mentioning a tiny snag that could trip up the young gun in his upcoming Xfinity races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr believes Connor Zilisch is a comet shooting through the racing world

Under his deal with Trackhouse, Connor Zilisch is gearing up to compete in a variety of series including the CARS Tour, IMSA, ARCA, Trans-Am series, and the Xfinity Series from 2024 to 2025. And because of the packed schedule, Trackhouse owner, Justin Marks, emphasized the plan to take things slow with Connor, ensuring he’s fully prepped as he moves forward in what’s expected to be a lengthy racing career.

At 17, Zilisch has already made his mark across the NASCAR Truck Series, Daytona, Sebring, and the Mazda Challenge. He’s not just limited to one type of vehicle; he’s raced Mazdas, Camaros, trucks, and karts—and he’s won. In 2023 alone, he clinched victories in four out of 10 MX-5 Cup races. A year before that, he was named Rookie of the Year in the MX-5 Cup Series.

And looking at his promising starts on numerous tracks in various types of vehicles, Dale Earnhardt Jr recently had high hopes for him, “He’s impressive his speed, especially on road courses.” Yet, Dale Earnhardt Jr also mentioned that, despite Connor Zilisch’s boatload of talent, there’s a bit of skepticism in the NASCAR world about how he’ll fare on oval tracks, “The jury is out on his abilities and Talent on ovals.”

He added, “It’s not like we don’t know he can’t race an oval, I think his experience on road courses and all the types of things that he’s been doing at a young age obviously is going to serve him well when he runs these races the remainder of the year.” Dale Jr seems to be positive about his Xfinity stint. He opined that once Zilisch jumps into the hustle and bustle of an Xfinity race, he’ll start to find his groove and level out.

Furthermore, Dale Jr went on to make a pretty cool comparison, saying, “Conor Zilisch is like that Comet that is out in at the edge of the solar system that’s supposed to come by Earth right in a few years. We know when it’s coming and we’re all going to be standing outside looking in the sky waiting on it. That’s Conor Zilisch in my mind. Could be his nickname yeah the Connor the comet. I just feel like that if everything goes right this kid we’re g to be talking about him talking about him a lot this year.”

And getting a nod from someone like Kyle Larson? That’s no small feat either. But for a talent like Connor Zilsch, showing up and showing out in his first Truck race, it was well-earned.

Kyle Larson complimented the young truck driver but was disappointed with one thing

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Kyle Larson couldn’t help but sing praises for Connor Zilisch after he tore through the Truck Series qualifying at COTA. Larson, who himself won the pole position in the Xfinity race, was highly impressed by 17-year-old Zilisch’s talent. He mentioned hearing buzz from Josh and Scott about how this kid is the real deal. Larson, having seen Zilisch in action through their Chevy connections, vouched for the young racer’s maturity and skill despite his age.

However, Larson, thrilled by Zilisch’s performance, shared a light-hearted letdown, “So I’m disappointed he was only like 3/4 of a second faster than field and not more than that because I figured he would be. I texted him earlier and said, you should smash the field this weekend. It’ll be more of the same tomorrow as long as nobody runs through him.”

Reiterating Dale Earnhardt Jr’s sentiment, 2024 is shaping up to be a monumental year for Zilisch, particularly with his knack for road courses races.

Read More: Connor Zilisch Dissects “Straight Chaos” at COTA, Moments After Brutal NASCAR Crash-Course