Connor Zilisch Opens Up About Brutal Rookie Season, Future With Hendrick Motorsports

Connor Zilisch is having a rough go of it in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season. The 20-year-old Trackhouse Racing driver sits 34th in the points standings with nine DNFs, a stat line that would test anyone's patience. But instead of making excuses, Zilisch is taking a hard look in the mirror and using his veteran teammates as the measuring stick.

In a recent conversation with Jeff Gluck, Zilisch got brutally honest about the mental toll of a difficult debut season and how he is keeping his focus on the long game, including a major move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028.

How is Zilisch handling the self-doubt?

Zilisch admits the struggles have weighed on him, but he is using them as fuel rather than letting them define his season.

There's obviously self-doubt. At the end of the day, I'm human. When I don't run well, it frustrates me. It's tough at times. But the biggest thing is I compare myself to my teammates. I know Ross (Chastain) is a championship driver when everything around him is the way it needs to be. We've seen that before. So he's a really good one for me to go off of, and he still outruns me almost every week.

That honesty extends to his own performance. Zilisch knows he has room to grow and is not about to start complaining when his teammates are still outpacing him.

I'm honest with myself in that regard that I can still be better. At the end of the day, you have to find ways to measure yourself, and I think that's the best way to do it. Until I'm at the point where I'm consistently running around or outrunning him and Shane (van Gisbergen), I can't complain too much because I know I still have a job to do. That's important to me.

Trackhouse Racing's 2026 season struggles

Zilisch is not alone in his struggles. The entire Trackhouse organization has had a disappointing year. Both Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain missed the Chase for the Cup. Van Gisbergen finished 17th in points despite wins at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, while Chastain sits 19th, a far cry from the championship-caliber performances expected of him.

Zilisch 2026 season breakdown

The numbers tell the story of a season filled with bad luck and missed opportunities. Zilisch has more DNFs (9) than laps led (8). He has managed just two top-ten finishes all year.

• Top-10 finishes: Sonoma (where teammate van Gisbergen won) and Gateway during the second Chase race
• Top-20 finishes: Seven total, including a 14th at Circuit of the Americas, 18th at Darlington, 16th at Texas, 20th at Watkins Glen, and 11th at Iowa

The DNFs have come in clusters. He failed to finish at EchoPark Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Charlotte, Nashville, Michigan, San Diego, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, and New Hampshire. Some were caused by cautions, some by execution errors, and others by issues beyond his control.

Wins in lower series show Zilisch still has it

Despite the Cup Series struggles, Zilisch has proven he can still find victory lane. He has wins at Bristol and Watkins Glen in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, plus a second-place finish at Sonoma. In the Truck Series, he added a second at Watkins Glen and a third at Charlotte.

His best Cup finish of the year came in the All-Star Race, where he finished fifth, though that exhibition event does not pay points.

What's next for Zilisch?

Zilisch is confident he belongs at the top level of NASCAR, and he has the backing of a powerhouse organization to prove it. Despite the rough season, he already has a contract in place to replace retiring Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2028.

It is a fitting destination. Zilisch grew up karting in Europe with open-wheel aspirations, but he always paid attention to NASCAR. When asked which driver he idolized, he named seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who won all of his titles in that very No. 48 car.

For now, Zilisch has two clear goals: finish the 2026 season on a positive note and use next year at Trackhouse to repay the organization's faith in him before stepping into the Hendrick ride fully prepared to succeed.