There’s More to Reveal With Red Bull and Connor Zilisch
What’s Happening? Keen-eyed fans may have noticed in Victory Lane on Saturday that Connor Zilisch was slinging around a can of…
After more than a decade, the energy drink brand Red Bull has returned to NASCAR. The company, which last sponsored a car in 2011, will sponsor Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen at Trackhouse Racing in 2025.
As part of this deal, Zilisch, who is perhaps the top prospect in all of NASCAR, will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing at Circuit of the Americas in the No. 87. Zilisch, a road course ace, made his Truck Series debut in Austin last season.
Red Bull will be the primary sponsor of the No. 87 or No. 88 at:
SVG is a longtime Red Bull athlete dating back to his days in Supercars; Zilisch signed on as a Red Bull athlete at Watkins Glen last August. Until Thursday’s announcement, this sponsorship appeared to be just a driver sponsorship rather than an on-car sponsorship.
Zilisch will race full-time with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series next season. The relationship between Zilisch and JRM began at Watkins Glen last fall when Zilisch won in his debut in the team’s No. 88.
In fact, rumors of a deeper relationship and an on-car sponsorship with Red Bull began on Dirty Mo Media’s Door Bumper Clear following Zillisch’s win at the Glen.
Karsyn Elledge, co-host of DBC and notably Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s niece, stated on the Sept. 16 episode of DBC, “Am I allowed to say like what it actually is, or will I get in trouble?” The “it” was in reference to Zilisch and Red Bull.
What’s Happening? Keen-eyed fans may have noticed in Victory Lane on Saturday that Connor Zilisch was slinging around a can of…
Red Bull is active in all levels of motorsports worldwide, including Formula One, SuperCars, and Rally Racing. However, the brand has not been in NASCAR since 2011. Since then, Monster Energy has become the most prominent brand in NASCAR.
Red Bull operated in NASCAR not only as an on-car primary sponsor but also as the name sponsor for a team. Red Bull Racing operated in NASCAR from 2007 to 2011. Prior to its closure, the team field names included Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, and A.J. Allmendinger.
Aside from appearing on the helmets of SVG and Zilisch since 2023, Red Bull has been absent from NASCAR since the checkered flag fell at Homestead in 2011.
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