JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr post just three words on social media “we have decided” along with a photo of himself and driver of the number 88 car Connor Zilisch.
The post sparked a great deal of speculation as to exactly what JR and “we” decided.
Race fans did not have long to wait…
Trackhouse Racing has just announced that after one season in the Xfinity Series, the 19 year old Zilisch would be moving up to the Cup Series next season to drive full time.
Earlier this season, Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse announced that the driver of the number 99 car would not be returning next season. That announcement also sparked a great deal of speculation as to whether Zilisch would be Suarez’ replacement.
Now it is official. Connor Zilisch is taking over the driving duties of the number 99 car and join Melon Man Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen at Trackhouse.
In his rookie season in the Xfinity Series, Zilisch has won six races. After falling at Watkins Glen and breaking his collar bone, Zilisch had surgery last week to put in a plate. He started the race at Daytona on Friday night and then turned the driving duties over to Parker Kligerman who went on to win the race. Zilisch is officially credited with the win to make it seven races for the season.
Connor Zilisch spoke on the move saying, “it’s cool. I knew the whole world knew already, but still to be able to say it and have my name next to the word ‘Cup Series’ is really cool. So, I wasn’t going to try and hide from it, but it’s just a day that I’ve been dreaming of for a long time and I’m not going to let that kind of the idea that everybody already knows take away from the moment.”
Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks noted that crew and car number will be announced at a later date; so the 99 may not remain the 99. During his three Cup Series starts with Trackhouse, Zilisch drove the number 87 car.
Callin Zilisch a “rare talent”, Justin Marks spoke on the young driver saying, “I think it’s what everybody sees. It’s the level of maturity, the approach, the ability to deliver in big moments. When I get asked, which is sort of weird, but I get asked sometimes by young people, ‘What can I do to get noticed or to get an opportunity in racing?’ And I tell them it’s just you have to just win. You have to just have the ability to get it done when you got a fast race car and when you have a winning opportunity you’ve got to be able to close the deal. Connor’s done it. Just every car he’s gotten in, he’s figured out a way to win.”
Marks added, “I think another one is the rate of adaptability. This sport won’t wait on somebody to figure things out. It’s such a fast-paced sport. You have to be able to get in a car, understand it right away, find its limits right away, and go deliver right away.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr spoke on Zilisch calling him “incredible” doing “Hall of Fame worty things”. Jr added, “I mean, the only thing I think it’s close to is probably Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson. So he might be even more of a comet … he might be even more rare than that, because I don’t know, man, if you all get a chance to spend time around him, you’ll realize how mature he is, and I think there’s probably a lot of parents in the room that would be amazed at his level of maturity.”
Connor Zilisch noted, “I still haven’t made it to where I want to be, right? This is the start. I wanted to get to this point and give myself the opportunity to win championships at the highest level, but I wouldn’t say I’ve made it. But I’ve made it farther than a lot. So, that’s something to be proud of. And, yeah, it’s going to be grueling. The Cup Series is no joke, and that jump from Saturday to Sunday is bigger than probably any other sport in our country. So yeah, I’m excited for the challenge and looking forward to just going out and learning and every Sunday giving my best effort and seeing where I stack up.”