Social media can easily be described as a double-edged sword. Sure, it helps with engagement and sponsorship commitments, but it can also punch you in the gut with all the hate. And who knows it better than Connor Zilisch?

The No. 88 Chevy driver sat with IndyCar driver Mick Schumacher, NASCAR analyst Kevin Harvick, and F1 analyst Will Buxton on the Speed with Harvick and Buxton podcast on March 11. There, he discussed everything about NASCAR, including the criticisms he receives on social media. When asked to share how he handles online criticism, Zilisch said:

“There’s good that comes from it, and then there’s also bad, but that’s everything in life. There are a lot of times I just have to turn my phone off, and I know that it’s not going to be good, so I’m not going to listen to it. I’m not going to pay attention to it. But it’s completely changed racing. It’s completely changed all of sports. The mental health issues in pro sports from just athletes.

“People forget that at the end of the day, we’re all humans. I think you don’t realize it when you’re a fan, but you’re still talking to somebody with feelings and emotions, and even though you’re saying it through a screen, it’s still real. And for me, I just try not to pay too much attention to it. There are days I go on, and it can uplift me, and people can say good things about me, but the days that it’s bad, it’s more of a detriment to the ways that it helps.”

Notably, drivers receiving criticism on social media is nothing new. This trend isn’t new; fans have criticized their stars to show dissatisfaction ever since social media was introduced, both inside and outside the racing world.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers even consider social media a necessary evil of their business, one they don’t like.

Chase Elliott stepped away from social media toward the end of the 2020 season, while William Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, had previously said he doesn’t have any type of social media. A few years ago, when Justin Haley was asked about his social media presence, he said he didn’t become a race car driver to become a social media superstar. And even today, he still doesn’t deal with social media but has instead hired someone to handle it for him.

In fact, some drivers have gone to the extent of expressing their hate for the same.

“I hate social media. I wouldn’t be on it if I didn’t have to be on it,” Kyle Busch says. “That’s just the nature of our business and what we do right now with sponsors and everything else.”

While some pay heed, others, like Connor Zilisch, don’t, who stated in the podcast that he turns off his phone to avoid negativity. Given that Zilisch has now entered the Cup Series, the level of scrutiny and criticism is expected to go higher.

While Zilisch knows how to deal with the hate online, he also needs to focus on the ongoing Cup Series season and strive to improve in the days to come.

Connor Zilisch admits he needs to do a better job in NASCAR

With 45 points to his name in the Cup Series, Connor Zilisch is currently languishing at the bottom. At the time when drivers are pushing to get themselves inside the Top 16 drivers and qualify for the Chase, Zilisch has slumped with consecutive disastrous performances coming into 2026.

“I’ve definitely had a rough stretch of weeks, you know, with incidents and things just kind of out of my control. Eventually, as a race car driver, I have a hard time saying it’s bad luck when it’s four weeks in a row. So I definitely just need to do a better job putting myself in positions where I’m not going to get wrecked all the time,” the 19-year-old said.

Zilisch’s full-time debut in the NASCAR Cup Series did not go as planned, as the Trackhouse Racing driver is currently in 34th place in the Drivers’ Standings. With four underwhelming races one after another, the #88 driver’s situation is currently under scrutiny.

At Daytona, Zilisch came home in 33rd place, followed by 30th at Atlanta. At COTA, he had the best result of this season so far — 14th, and in the recently concluded race at Phoenix, Connor Zilisch put up a 29th-place finish.

With that said, it will be interesting to see if the ‘next best prospect since Jeff Gordon’ bounces back and recovers his performance.