Kevin Harvick is ready to see Connor Zilisch do some big things in the NASCAR Cup Series. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick reacted to getting a shoutout for Zilisch during his Cup Series announcement press conference.
“He’s a great person,” Kevin Harvick said about Connor Zilisch. “He’s the type of person that everybody wants to root for, and he’s personable. He’s got a great demeanor in the way that he carries himself. People are going to love him. I think as you go through time and more people know his name, they’re going to love him for who he is, let alone the fact he can drive the snot out of that car.”
Harvick then talked about how Zilisch helped his son, Keelan, when he began racing go-karts. “He helped Keelan with some of his go-kart data and training and different things when we first started,” Harvick explained. “[Zilisch] was always a part of that side. He is really good at what he does.”
Connor Zilisch details Kevin Harvick’s conversation with his dad
During Zilisch’s press conference, he told the story of how Harvick helped him get to where he is today. “I never knew what was ahead of me, and there were times, five years ago, where I was just going to go to college and live the life of a normal kid,” Zilisch said.
“Kevin Harvick asked my dad, ‘What’s your plan with this kid?’ My dad was like, ‘Well, he’s going to race for another year or two, and then he’s going to go to college.’ Kevin told my dad, ‘You can’t do that.’ Thank you to Kevin.”
Zilisch will enter the NASCAR Cup Series after dominating the Xfinity Series this year. The 19-year-old has won six races in the No. 88 car this year (credited with seven, but Parker Kligerman replaced him during a Lap 13 caution) and finished in the top five in his last 12 races.
Zilisch will drive for Trackhouse Racing next year. He will be joined by teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen, two drivers who have won a combined five Cup Series races this year.
