If you were to pinpoint a brilliant young prodigy in NASCAR, Connor Zilish should be the first to come to your mind. The 17-year-old driver has already stocked up on several accolades. He even salvaged the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring to start the year. And it looks like Zilisch is nowhere close to stopping just yet, as he recently added another trophy to his racing resume.

He secured a 4th-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in the zMAX CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock race, admitting to nail-biting challenges. The young racer worked through his problems, and now we see him reveling in his latest victory.

Connor Zilisch happy to prove people wrong!

The sky is the limit for Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch. After securing the 11th spot in the qualifier, he fought his way into the top five after lap 50. Then he took the lead on lap 111, followed by some paint trading with Brendan Queen. Zilisch held off his rival on a late restart to secure the victory in the end.

Despite his prior accolades, including a pole at his Truck Series debut and the TransAm championship, this win is significant for Zilisch. He admitted to that very fact revealing how it included settling a score with people who thought he was not good enough. “I know I won the Rolex, Sebring but a win here in a Late Model Stock at Hickory is a dream come true. This level of competition is incredible. You have 15 cars that can win on any given Saturday. I think my best finish in a Late Model Stock was ninth and people say, ‘He can’t race on an oval’, so it just means a lot.”

Even Zilisch’s rival Queen admitted to a great race despite settling for a runner-up spot. “Lee Pulliam Performance brought a different package and we were fast all weekend. I gave it all I had. He was a little better than us but I had him beat off two. He got into me and I got into him. I tried all I could. I don’t know that we could have held him off anyway. What an effort.”

But like a true racer, Connor Zilisch is not ready to take all the credit for his win. The young racer, while basking in his newfound glory, also admitted to the tremendous support he received from his team.

Zilisch showers praise on his team’s ride

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Connor Zilisch has inked several deals for a jampacked schedule in 2024. He signed up for NASCAR Truck Series under Spire Motorsports and Xfinity under Trackhouse. His other race schedules are mostly covered by Pinnacle Racing Group. This team fielded him in the CARS Late Model Stock race and was elated to see him fetch a victory in his first-ever venture with them.

So, nanturally, Zilisch gave the team huge credit for his success, as per Racing America. “I want to take credit for it, but it was all this race car my [Pinnacle Racing Group] team brought,” said Zilisch in victory lane, while adding, “We worked so hard this offseason. We weren’t able to race the first race of the season, I had some conflict. To come here, my first race with this team, and end up in victory lane in a CARS Tour Late Model Stock race is incredible.”

All things considered, Connor Zilisch may easily turn into a motorsport legend soon. Do you agree? 

Read More: Trackhouse Sensation Connor Zilisch Suffers Photo Finish Loss in Mazda MX-5 Series