Major Sponsor Making Long-Awaited Return to NASCAR with Connor Zilisch
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This weekend, Connor Zilisch makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing. The Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year candidate is flying through the NASCAR ranks, and he may be on the fast track to full-time Cup Series competition. With Zilisch on the horizon, which of Trackhouse Racing’s current Cup Series drivers might be feeling the pressure?
Zilisch made his first Truck, and the Xfinity Series starts in 2024. In his truck series debut, Zilisch won the pole at Circuit of the Americas, and in his Xfinity Series debut, the road course prodigy won at Watkins Glen. Zilisch now races full-time for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In a short period, the 18-year-old has a real case to make for his promotion within the next two seasons. Though Trackhouse would likely want to keep all four of its current drivers, a new Charter rule limiting teams to three charters means that at least one driver will hit the free-agent market to make way for Zilisch.
That said, there is no clear timeline for Zilisch’s entry into the NASCAR Cup Series. While Zilisch is an ace on road courses, some feel he needs to prove himself consistently on ovals.
Should Zilisch show skill on ovals in the Xfinity Series this year and stun the NASCAR world at COTA, Trackhouse could be faced with a tough decision this offseason. Whether it’s this offseason or the next, change is on the way at Trackhouse Racing.
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Though Chastain departing Trackhouse seems unlikely, we will attempt to make both cases for the No. 1.
While Chastain has been the team’s best driver each season since their expansion to two cars, he is currently 32 years old. This begs the question of at what age will Chastain reach his NASCAR peak?
Since his 2022 breakout season, Chastain has seen a dramatic statistical falloff. In three seasons, Chastain has yet to match his wins, top-fives, and top-tens from that season. With the veteran aging, there is a moderate case to make for swapping the veteran out for a rookie.
However, Ross did improve his average finish from 2023 to 2024, something he failed to do from 2022 to 2023. Furthermore, sponsorship from Busch Beer, who left Stewart Haas Racing for Trackhouse, could keep Chastain in this car for the long run.
While he is aging, Ross is hands-down the face of Trackhouse Racing, and it is more likely his departure would be his call rather than the team’s (as unlikely as either scenario would be).
While it is rare, teams have moved on from drivers after one year in the past. In fact, there was a time when teams would simply move on from a driver midway through their first season with a team.
Yet this is not the case for Shane van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing. While Chastain has solid job security at Trackhouse, SVG could be better off than Ross Chastain.
This is thanks to SVG’s fiery debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 and road course mastery. Furthermore, SVG has solid sponsor backing from Weathertech and Red Bull, both of which also sponsor cars for Zilisch.
To put it simply, it would take a dramatic turn of events for SVG and Trackhouse to part ways one or two seasons into the Kiwi’s NASCAR career.
When it comes to Trackhouse Racing making a driver move, fans seem to place Daniel Suarez in the proverbial hot seat every season. Though he is the team’s foundational driver, Suarez has had a rough go of it not only with Trackhouse but also at the Cup Series level.
When Trackhouse signed Zane Smith to a Cup Series developmental deal early last season, fans theorized he was destined for the No. 99 car. However, since then, a lot has changed at Trackhouse, including SVG’s promotion, Zilisch’s breakout, and Smith’s release.
Not lost on that storyline was Suarez’s contract extension last season. While Suarez earned this extension, as he made the playoffs last season, fans noted that when Trackhouse announced the deal, the team did not use the typical terminology such as “multi-year” to indicate the length of the deal.
This could indicate that Suarez is once again on a contract season. Should Zilisch earn an early promotion, or even one in 2027, Suarez may have to put up career numbers to make his case to stay in the No. 99.
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