DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With a dozen reporters surrounding Connor Zilisch outside his team transporter in the Daytona International Speedway garage Saturday afternoon during a break in preseason IMSA testing, the 19-year-old racing protege looked around and allowed that all the media attention still felt a bit new.
Only two weeks after celebrating his 2025 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award and record-setting 10-win season, Zilisch was back in a race car for the first time. He joined Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger at the Daytona road course over the weekend — the two learning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series GTP sports cars they plan to steer in the Jan. 24-25 Rolex 24 at the “World Center of Racing.”
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When pressed, Zilisch conceded that media reception he drew this weekend was quite different than when he showed up in the sports car garage as a young, yet-unproven driver three years ago.
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“”I remember walking around this paddock and I could walk around when nobody knew who I was and it’s so cool now that people appreciate what I do and it makes all the hard work feel worth it,” Zilisch said.
“Those moments for me as a kid and I was looking up to people was something I remember often, and I want to be that guy that kids can look up to and want to be like one day.”
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After enduring a heartbreaking championship loss to his best friend Jesse Love two weeks ago in the Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix, Zilisch said the best thing for him to do was get back behind the wheel again. And sports cars have certainly been an impactful, positive part of his career — arguably the launching point for his NASCAR success.
In 2024, at only 17 years old, Zilisch claimed the Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 championship trophy, then answered it with another class win in the very next race, the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring.
That road-racing prowess helped gain the attention of NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks, himself a former IMSA competitor. And after a season setting records and learning the stock car ropes driving for JR Motorsports in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Zilisch will compete full-time in the Cup Series in 2026, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet. His Trackhouse teammate and friend, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen — who he co-drove with in last year’s Rolex 24 – used the No. 88 this season in his own Sunoco Rookie of the Year work, but will carry the No. 97 going forward.
While the initial pain of losing the season title after such an incredible year-long performance still stings, Zilisch said he is ready to move on and being in a race car preparing for a race as a former winner seemed like the correct path forward.
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“The first time I came to Daytona racing was in MX5 Cup,” Zilisch said. “And I’ve loved it ever since, and just being able to race in the 24 hours is something that I dreamed of as a kid and that’s why I always come back and keep doing it.
“It’s my third time doing it and my third different car that that I’ve done it in. So, I don’t know if I’m doing it, but if I do get to end up doing it then that would be cool. I’m just excited for the opportunity to even be here today and get this chance to test the car. It’s been such a dream of mine to get to drive in the highest class of IMSA and doing that today has been really cool.”
The Kaulig Racing driver Allmendinger, who is teaming up with IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and sports car standouts Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, was third quickest in the two-day session in the No. 60 Acura Meyer-Shank Racing prototype. Zilisch’s team — with co-drivers Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti was sixth fastest overall in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac among the 10 GTP cars that participated in the test session.
“It’s been good,” Zilisch’s co-driver Aitken said. “Connor’s obviously got plenty on his CV [resume] already. He’s already won two of the biggest races on the endurance calendar over here, so I’m not really concerned about the driving side of things, it’s really just more about getting him up to speed on the technical side of these cars. … honestly just the boring stuff.
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“Today has gone well. He had a couple of pretty long runs just getting laps and getting miles and he seems comfortable and happy. He’s done a good job. But of course, he would.”
Although Allmendinger won overall in the race’s 50th anniversary edition in 2012, he hasn’t competed in the Rolex 24 since 2021. As was the case with Zilisch, who has never competed at the GTP level previously. Allmendinger conceded there is a learning curve with the new prototypes.
“There is definitely a lot to this car, a lot to learn,” Allmendinger said, adding, “Trying to just get as comfortable as possible [this weekend], the biggest thing compared to like the [NASCAR] Cup car is the steering is just so much heavier, hard to turn the steering wheel compared to a Cup car.”
#60: Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, Acura ARX-06, GTP: Colin Braun, AJ Allmendinger
Certainly, NASCAR fans will enjoy having two drivers with legitimate shots at a Rolex 24 victory to start the 2026 season. It’s a race win both Zilisch and Allmendinger have treasured. And a race opportunity both are eager to take again.
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“It’s cool to come back here,” Zilisch said. “I always love seeing the people. The atmosphere is so much different. The people from all across the world that come and run this race.
“It’s been really cool just to experience it all again and kind of shift my mindset. It’s a much different language. Everything is different when you come and do these races versus NASCAR. So, just getting adjusted, it’s been fun, it’s all good. It’s all learning for me and that’s what I enjoy most.”
