Trackhouse Sensation Connor Zilisch Suffers Photo Finish Loss in Mazda MX-5 Series

When Justin Marks, co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, signed Connor Zilisch, it was certain that the young lad had talent in abundance. Without a doubt, he is on the radar of many teams who would want to have him on their roster. Zilisch’s first attempt at victory was in the LMP2 Class 24 Hours of Daytona this February, which garnered significant attention and led Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s team to confirm his Xfinity series debut for them driving the Chevrolet No. 88.

The 17-year-old has lots of noteworthy accolades in such a small career. Zilisch is the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2020. He then went on to win the 2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup Scholarship. However, recently, things took a turn for him at the Sebring International Raceway.

Connor Zilisch said that it’s hard to be frustrated, after his marginal loss

The result of Sebring Raceway is sure to disappoint Connor Zilisch, as he almost drag-raced with Workman for the win but did not have the last laugh marginally. Racing America’s Editor, Joseph Srigley, took to his X and shared the race results.

In response to his performance, Connor Zilisch said, “The race today honestly was a little bit less stressful, you know. I felt a lot more comfortable at the front with my teammate. And it was just good to be up front the whole race. I knew that they were going to catch us, you just can’t pull away in this series. It was really hot out there.”

He added, “I’m glad he (Workman) got a win and got his first of his career in the series. It’s the first one (that) is always special, so I’m happy for him and glad that we could get a 1-2 for BSI Racing, but two seconds in one weekend, not what I wanted to have! It’s not what we want, but it’s hard to be frustrated when we had the chance to win in both races.”

Read More: What Drives Connor Zilisch – The Teenage Phenom With the Resume of a Veteran

On the other hand, Westin Workman added, “So the driving style here at Sebring is a little bit different than Daytona. At Daytona you really don’t want to be leading. And here we have a really long back straightaway and I didn’t think the lead was the best spot to be in. But I couldn’t check up to let a few cars by and get the draft down the back straight. Because there are too many cars in our front pack. So I just stayed in the lead.”

The photo finish at the Mazda MX-5 race

Known for its thrilling and closely contested races, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup delivered yet another heart-stopping finish at Sebring International Raceway. Connor Zilisch, the development driver for Trackhouse Racing, lost by inches against Westin Workman. The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year secured pole position with a blistering lap time of 2 minutes and 25.408 seconds. In the process, he shattered the previous record of 2 minutes and 25.666 seconds set in 2021. However, he could not make it to a photo-finish victory.

Westin Workman’s victory in the Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Sebring International Raceway was a hard-fought battle, though. Despite starting outside the front row and slipping out of the top five, he displayed remarkable tenacity and climbed back up to the top three. His determination paid off, resulting in a thrilling win by a razor-thin margin of 0.004 seconds over Zilisch.

The good thing is that this race does not mark the end of the year for Connor Zilisch. With so many projects in hand, it will be fascinating to witness the young sensation’s progress for different teams. Gathering all these experiences will undoubtedly contribute to his future success when he eventually competes in the Cup Series.

Read More: NASCAR News: Xfinity Debutant Connor Zilisch Receives Multiple Race Callup From Dale Jr’s NASCAR Team