The NASCAR Cup Series’ Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a wild display of chaos, talent, and survival on Sunday. The race was a nerve-racking, fingertip duel, pack racing, slingshot passes, and a new leader around every corner. For both fans and drivers, it served as a reminder of the thrills of superspeedway racing, an art that continues to divide opinion but one that is never short of drama.

Standout drivers included Dale Earnhardt Jr’s, Trackhouse Racing phenom 18-year-old Connor Zilisch, who was starting only his third Cup Series race. Everyone was watching the youngster with interest, and how he could cope with the high-pressure atmosphere. What resulted was a display of poise and adaptation as Zilisch went through a crash-filled night, stayed out of trouble, and drove to a career-best finish for himself and his team.

The media center was abuzz about the tightness of the race. If it was the wildest thing he’d ever been associated with, Zilisch didn’t have to think very hard about it, His simple, honest assessment of the race in four words, “I was death grip,” perfectly captured the emotion and physicality of the night, when he locked himself in for 260 laps of nonstop action. Zilisch’s performance furthered his already burgeoning reputation and had people talking seriously about whether he was Cup Series ready.

Connor Zilisch survives Atlanta chaos

It was anything but an easy trip to the Quaker State 400 for 18-year-old driver Connor Zilisch. Right from the start, it was obvious Atlanta would require everything from its competitors. “Runs were just forming everywhere. Our cars were on edge the whole time. Yeah, it was wild. It was.” Zilisch said, discussing how the pack racing format of Atlanta didn’t give anyone much margin for error. He was able to avoid the stage 1 crash and the big one in stage 2 that collected a total of 23 cars. The #87 Trackhouse Racing Chevy survived the attrition and headed home with a decent finish.

“It was wild. I was death grip on the steering wheel for 200 and 60 laps, and I’m gonna sleep well tonight, so glad I was able to make it to the end without doing anything too stupid and spinning out. There were a lot of guys who spun out right in front of me. But yeah, glad to make it to the end.” Zilisch recalled. His inexperience at this level could have been a liability, but instead, he demonstrated maturity beyond his years. This was only his third start at Atlanta in the national series event and his first in the Cup Series.

He worked well with teammate Shane van Gisbergen, finding holes in the field and making bold moves when opportunities arose. Despite the constant threat of spinning out, Zilisch kept his car clean and his nerves in check. When the checkered flag flew, Zilisch had driven to an 11th-place finish, the best of his three Cup Series starts. Even more impressive, he was the top-finishing Trackhouse Racing driver, a tribute to his growing comfort and versatility in the sport’s elite division. SVG with a 24th place finish finished better than senior drivers like Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Both of them finished with a DNF.

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What does Zilisch’s performance mean for his future?

A strong outing from Connor Zilisch was only the latest in a breakout season for the teenager. In Xfinity, he has already proven he is competitive, having won at COTA and Pocono, taking several poles, and rattling off a string of top-five finishes. Excluding the race in Texas that he missed, Zilisch’s average finish in his last five Xfinity races has been a sparkling 2.8, with a win and a pole.

Now, after solidifying a Cup Series debut, the question is no longer if but when Zilisch will make the full-time leap to NASCAR’s top series. There are murmurs that Zilisch is likely to be promoted to the Cup car next year, but the final decision hasn’t been made so far. The toss-up is likely going to be between SVG and Suarez. But, given that the Kiwi driver has locked himself in the playoff with the win in Mexico, the pressure is now on Suarez to deliver the goods.

The driver of the #99 Chevy shared an update about his future at Trackhouse Racing. “We’ll see what happens,” he continued. “There (are) still a lot of things (up) in the air, right now. There (are) just some things that I’m just uncomfortable in a few areas, a few things, but I love Trackhouse and I love this team. And this team for me has been my best home in the Cup Series. Right now, honestly, everything is an option. All I know is that things are gonna work out,” he said this on Dale Jr. Download.

What do you make of the current situation at Trackhouse Racing? Should Daniel Suarez be replaced by Zilisch, or does the youngster need another season in the Xfinity Series?