The NASCAR O’Reilly Series has given Connor Zilisch some hope this season amid the woes driving a Cup car. “It’s been a tough past two weeks for me in the Cup Series, and it feels good to come back down here into the O’Reilly Series and prove that I can still do it.” This was after he won the race at Bristol in the #1 JRM Chevy, and he repeated it at Watkins Glen. This weekend, he had another shot to put his Cup woes behind him and put on a winning run, but luck hasn’t been favoring the Trackhouse rookie.

“Can’t make this stuff up […] every week,” Zilisch wrote on social media, as he faced the toughest side of NASCAR once again. He didn’t expect this outcome from the qualifying run, and it’s going to put him at a huge disadvantage. Meanwhile, his teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, clinched the pole to start the race on Saturday.

Zilisch kept losing air from his right-rear tire, which dropped him to 30^th place during the qualifying session. On the pit road, the team realized that it was a flat tire, and to make matters worse, NASCAR did not allow the car to go back on and set a lap. What could have been one of the strongest weekends for Zilisch already seems to be turning into a massive disappointment. And this has been the story for the entire season.

Trackhouse hasn’t had the most pace this season; moreover, the crashes that Zilisch has been involved in have put him in a bad place on the points table. He was also the victim of the brake rotor that exploded during the race at Nashville, and the list continues.

Having won 10 races in the 2025 NOAPS season, he was thought to be one of the most promising drivers debuting in the Cup Series this season. However, he has struggled to find himself, even a top 10 finish so far. And as it seems so far, he hasn’t had the chance to showcase his talent, and the one place he could have done it with the one team he did it with last year, the Sonoma weekend doesn’t look to be in great shape so far.

Despite the misfortunes, his hardcore fans are in his support to help him see past the testing time, competing in NASCAR

Fans back Connor Zilisch after tough start

“I will still continue being a fan after all these mishaps,” Zilisch has been a fan favorite for the longest of time. Everyone seems to love the story of a teenager who managed to shock the entire field. And he did that very well. When he won his debut race in 2024 at Watkins Glen, it became quite apparent that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was to offer him a full-time seat, and he did just that. Later, Zilisch went on to win 10 races in the 2025 season before being signed by Trackhouse Racing for the 2026 Cup Series season.

“The sophomore slump. You’ll break out of it soon. Jeff Gordon had your luck in 1993.” This seems to be a very common belief amongst the NASCAR fans. Jeff Gordon, who made history with Hendrick Motorsports, did not have the best rookie season, either. He faced quite a few mechanical failures, and the learning curve was massive for him, especially considering that he was battling against the likes of Dale Earnhardt. Understandably, it became a bit too difficult for him; however, just two seasons later, he won his maiden championship. Many feel that Connor Zilisch is carrying a similar luck, as his rookie season seems to be raising the same doubts many had for Gordon back in the day. “Think of it this way. You’re getting the bad luck out of the way all at once,” wrote another fan.

Understandably, this isn’t the debut that Zilisch hoped for, especially considering the performances he pulled off in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. However, this isn’t the end for him. In fact, this is only the beginning, like another optimistic comment read, “YYYYOOOOO!!! you’re getting all the bad sh-t out of the way for the next 10 years!!!!!” Zilisch still has time.

A few fans were being superstitious, and seeing Zilisch’s situation, they are hoping for better luck on the race day. “Bad luck in qualifying translates to good luck on race day, clearly.”

Without a doubt, these are testing times for Zilisch as a race car driver, and he can’t allow failures to dictate his plans. He’s still young and can adapt and learn along the way; he has the talent, and a win in the Cup Series is just a matter of time.