Connor Zilisch finally made his much-anticipated NASCAR Cup Series debut at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. However, Zilisch was unable to finish the race after crashing into his Trackhouse teammate, Daniel Suárez. Despite the early exit, Zilisch did enough to convince Kevin Harvick that he has the potential to shake up the grid in the near future.
Kevin Harvick Sees Trouble for Drivers as Connor Zilisch Emerges
Trackhouse Racing faces another tough dilemma this season, thanks to Zilisch. Last year, the team had Ross Chastain, Suárez, Zane Smith, and Shane van Gisbergen. The team has now added a third charter, let Smith go, and locked in van Gisbergen for a 2025 Cup Series drive.
The current lineup—including Chastain, Suárez, and van Gisbergen—along with Zilisch’s contract, creates a potential bottleneck. Keeping Zilisch in Xfinity for two years seems unlikely and, frankly, unwise.
Speaking on his “Happy Hour” podcast, Harvick addressed the pressure Zilisch is putting on Trackhouse drivers. If Zilisch’s trajectory continues, Harvick, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, believes other drivers may start feeling the heat as well.
“Well, you start looking around. Let’s just take [Carson] Hocevar, for example. When you look at Justin Haley and Michael McDowell—he’s ultra-fast, well he’s in the same cars. That immediately puts pressure on those two teammates. And you look at the Trackhouse situation—it immediately puts pressure on Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, and SVG because of the speed he has on a road course.
“A new guy coming in like that makes everybody stand up and pay attention. Because somebody’s going to lose their seat when it’s all said and done. You look at a guy like Corey Heim, there’s constantly pressure from somebody new coming in if you don’t elevate your game. You better block your whole life out for it because if you don’t, somebody else is going to. That’s what it takes at this level.”
“Zilisch did a great job. I think everybody’s expectation is that he’s going to be great—he’s done great in everything he’s done so far,” Harvick continued.
“The Xfinity Series is where he’s going to learn a lot this year. The ovals will still be his biggest challenge, but ultimately, on the Cup side of things, it’s really about how you manage life and how you manage all the things you have to do. To maintain the level of performance you want takes a lot of work. And how do you do it every week?”
