Connor Zilisch Called a Generational Talent, Receives Praise from Denny Hamlin
On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin called Zilisch one of the most impressive rookies he's seen in NASCAR in decades. While everyone knew Zilisch would be great on road courses, Hamlin highlighted what he's doing on ovals as just as remarkable.
'Might be the most impressive rookie I've seen in decades. What he's doing on ovals, considering the amount of experience he has and the age that he is. Can't say I've seen anything more impressive, I truthfully cannot. He's already really good, he's gonna be great.'
Denny Hamlin on Connor Zilisch
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Connor Zilisch stats (): 674 points, 4 wins, 11 top-10s, 9 top-5s, 4 poles, 406 laps led, 7.421 average starting position, 10.684 average finishing position in 19 races
Zilisch, who turned 19 years old on Tuesday, became a full-time Xfinity Series driver this year with JR Motorsports. He started slow, placing 27th and 34th in his first two races at Daytona and Atlanta. He immediately followed that up with a win at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
With a playoff spot in the Xfinity Series already locked up, Zilisch then went to work climbing the NASCAR standings and improving on ovals. He placed ninth at Las Vegas, 12th at Homestead-Miami, and then sixth at Darlington. Still 18 years old at the time, he then went three consecutive weeks without a top-10 finish.
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However, Zilisch has been the best driver in the Xfinity Series for two months now. Over the last eight races, he has three wins and a 2.25 average finishing position with 17 playoff points. One of those wins came at Sonoma in a head-to-head battle against Shane van Gisbergen, with another coming on the 'Monster Mile' at Dover Motor Speedway.
Some might point to Ty Gibbs' Xfinity Series success in 2022 (7 wins and 16 top 5s) as proof that success at the lower level doesn't guarantee Zilisch will perform well in the Cup Series. While that is true, it is also worth noting that Gibbs was 19 years old during his breakout year, while Zilisch's success has come at 18 years old.
At the very least, Zilisch has earned the opportunity to replace Daniel Suarez in the No. 99 car with Trackhouse Racing next season. He can use his rookie Cup season to learn how to handle the Next Gen car on ovals while competing with Shane van Gisbergen as teammates for wins on road courses. At a minimum, he'll have a very good chance to win one of the five-plus road course races next season, which would likely mean making the playoffs in his age-19 season.
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