Age-Restricted Trackhouse Star Forced to Take Over ‘Stressful’ NASCAR Duties Amidst Negligible 17-Day Frustrations

If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. That’s exactly what the NASCAR world thinks of racing prodigy Connor Zilisch ever since he won the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The North Carolina native is on the verge of making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International on September 14th. Behind the wheel of JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, Zilisch will also compete at three other tracks in 2024.

As things stand, he is 17 days shy of his 18th birthday, after which he will be eligible to compete in NASCAR’s National Series. Until then, he must take over other “stressful” duties on the racetrack.

Conor Zilisch is one to watch out for

In January 2024, Connor Zilisch signed a multi-year agreement with Trackhouse Racing, co-owned by former racer Justin Marks and Pitbull. Known for his unorthodox approach and operating his team as an effective marketing tool, Marks had the foresight to bring in Shane van Gisbergen to NASCAR from Supercars Australia, which brought in instant results. Considered a visionary amongst NASCAR team owners, his latest project is Connor Zilisch, who has been dominating across different types of race tracks, despite being a teenager.

While he’s itching to get behind the wheel, Connor Zilisch has no choice but to take on spotting duties at the Chicago Street Course, a role that he finds particularly stressful. He said, “I wish I was the one behind the wheel. If I was a little bit older then maybe that would be the case. Looking forward to getting up on the spotter stand, I did it last year with Larson and Brandon Jones. I’m here with Ross (Chastain) and Parker Kligerman so hopefully, we can end up in Victory Lane as a spotter this weekend. I think spotting is more stressful than driving. I don’t know. I feel you can really mess up someone else’s race which is a lot of pressure so hopefully, I don’t do that.”

While he may not be old enough to be behind the wheel full-time, Connor Zilisch is taking this opportunity to get some valuable exposure before his journey begins in the Xfinity Series. When asked about how much he’s learning from the different disciplines that he’s a part of, Zilisch replied, “It’s been a really cool year. Just getting to race so many different race cars. Being in so many different series, racing against so many people, and meet so many people. It’s been really cool to experience all that at such a young age. It really helps my growth, not only as a driver but a person as well.”

Due to his tender age, Connor Zilisch cannot compete full-time in NASCAR’s sanctioned series. Over the years, the driver has accumulated an impressive resume, becoming the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, which was won by Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc in 2011. He went on to take his first steps into stock car racing at the age of 15, bagging a couple of wins in local Late Model events.

Zilisch also became the youngest-ever winner in Trans-Am, securing four wins in 10 starts. As things stand, the North Carolina native has already won twice in the ARCA Menards national series, with the most recent one coming at Iowa Raceway after an intense battle with William Sawalich. His worst-ever finish in the series continues to be the runner-up place at Watkins Glen racetrack, which is ironically where he will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports.

Fans react to Zilisch’s spotter responsibilities

It didn’t take long for fans to react to Connor Zilisch being made to do spotter responsibility at Chicago Street Course. With the driver just a few weeks away from his 18th birthday, fans found it difficult to comprehend that despite all his accomplishments, he isn’t permitted to race. A fan wrote on X, “While I understand the reasons behind the rule, I feel this is a driver deserving of an exception, assuming he had interest/worked on finding a ride at some point. He’s more than proven himself, especially on road courses, and is like 2 weeks from meeting the age requirement.”

One fan questioned why being 18 years old was a requirement to race in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, while the minimum age requirement is 16 and above for tracks 1.25 miles or less in length and on road courses in the Truck Series. The X user wrote, “Why is there a minimum age requirement for this race when there isn’t for others?” Considering just how accomplished Connor Zilisch is for his age, having dominated nearly every type of track that he has raced on, one fan wrote, “It’s crazy that you can be so accomplished and not be able to race in the car on Saturdays or Sundays.”

With Zilisch having already worked as a spotter for Kyle Larson and Brandon Jones in the past, one fan praised his capability, saying, “You are pretty good at it if the driving thing doesn’t work out.” Another fan echoed the sentiments of many, saying that “Age requirement IMO should be scratched,” arguing for drivers who have consistently shown their capability to deal with the rigors of NASCAR’s top tiers.

Elaborating on that note, one fan felt it was a disservice to the sport that one of the most promising talents isn’t getting to race simply because his 18th birthday is a few weeks away. Writing on X, the fan said, “NASCAR evaluates every driver either way, so why keep one of the best drivers in the world out of the seat, because of 3 weeks. Also I thought you were able to run short tracks and road courses at age 16!?”

Do you think Connor Zilisch should be permitted to race in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series before he turns 18? Let us know in the comments!