One driver who’s making waves in NASCAR and potentially in motorsports as a whole is the newly turned 18-year-old Connor Zilisch. His Truck Series debut at the Circuit of the Americas, where he secured the pole position, is hard to forget.
Zilisch ended that race in fourth place. Credit goes to Justin Marks and Kevin Harvick for bringing him into NASCAR. The Trackhouse racer has also caught the attention of NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr., who recently signed him for the 2025 season. Despite being in his first NASCAR season, he’s already making a significant impact.
Another admirer is former Formula One driver Max Papis, who believes the 18-year-old has the potential for a successful career in Formula One.
Is Connor Zilisch F1 material? Max Papis certainly thinks so!
What has made Zilisch so appealing to teams is his consistency and impressive track record. Despite his young age, he’s already racked up multiple victories. At just 16, he made his Pro Late Model debut, taking the pole in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, followed by a win at Hickory Motor Speedway. The following year, he secured four wins in the ARCA Series. His list of accomplishments continues. Eventually, Trackhouse Racing signed him as a developmental driver for Xfinity and Truck. However, JR Motorsports couldn’t resist signing him either, and he’s now set to drive the number 88 car for them in Xfinity.
The young prodigy has supporters from various motorsports, including Max Papis, who has competed in Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One, and Champ Car, and now races in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Papis believes that Connor Zilisch could find success in F1.
On a recent episode of Dale Jr. Download, Max Papis remarked, “If I have to judge from what I have seen him doing in Karting, I would say that he could have had a future in IndyCar, F1, or open wheel.” Papis is referencing Zilisch’s extensive Karting career before transitioning to stock cars and his unfulfilled dream of competing in F1.
How can an 18-year-old already have a long career? Well, he started racing at age 5. For a decade (2011-2021), Connor Zilisch was involved in karting. In 2017, he won the Mini Rok World Championship in South Garda, Italy. During that time, he primarily raced in the FIA OKJ (OK Junior) class.
Later, Zilisch became the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2020, the same one that Ferrari’s F1 driver Charles Leclerc won during his karting days.
While Zilisch excels in karting, other aspects of F1 might pose challenges for him. The first challenge is likely the financial barrier, as Formula One is a costly sport. As Zilisch himself mentioned, “nothing worked,” despite his efforts to join academies across Europe.
Formula One racing is entirely different from stock racing.
Papis also pointed out the vast differences between the two forms of racing but believes Zilisch’s adaptability would help him overcome this challenge. He emphasized, “I think Connor racing in karting at the highest level shows that he can extract the best out of an environment that is very different from stock car racing.”
However, aside from the difference in the cars—one being highly specialized and the other a slightly modified stock car—there are various other aspects of the sport. This is why Max Papis is unsure how far Connor Zilisch could go based solely on his karting talents. He stated, “Having been in Formula One, I would say that it’s his destiny, but it’s difficult to predict how far he would have gone because it’s very political and very complicated.”
Hopefully, as Papis suggested, we’ll see Connor Zilisch competing at the highest levels, whether in the NASCAR Cup Series, IndyCar, or Formula One. This young driver has a bright future ahead. Where would you like to see him race? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
