Connor Zilisch, a 17-year-old from the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, had a fantastic early career in all sorts of motorsports. Connor started running Go-Karts at the age of 5 and has since moved up to Mazda MX-5 Global Cup racing, Late Models, and Trans-Am and even became a Rolex 24 winner at Daytona. Needless to say, this kid is going places! In early January of this year, Connor was signed with TrackHouse Racing as a development driver in a multi-year contract.

Tuesday, JR Motorsports announced that they have signed Connor to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut at Watkins Glen International Speedway in September, where he will field the iconic No. 88 JRM Camaro following his 18th birthday in July. Following the Glen, Connor will field the 88 again at Kansas Speedway later in September, Homestead-Miami in October, and Phoenix Raceway in November.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Connor into the JR Motorsports Family and to give him an opportunity behind the wheel of our No. 88 Chevrolet,” Said Kelly Earnhardt Miller, CEO of JRM. Connor is an extremely talented young man, and we can’t wait to see what he can do when he gets to the track with us at Watkins Glen.”

“It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to race in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports for select races this year,” Said Zilisch. I have a lot to learn, considering that I’ve never raced on any big tracks previously, but there’s no better team to learn with than JRM. I can’t thank everyone at Chevrolet, Silver Hare Racing, and TrackHouse Racing enough for helping me get to this point and continuing to support me in the future. I look forward to giving my all and making the most of this opportunity.”

*Details such as sponsorship for Zilisch and more will come at a later date. Information & quotes from JRM Press Release. Header Image sourced from TrackHouse Racing’s Facebook Page