“I grew up watching Indy 500”: Connor Zilisch opens up on racing at the iconic Indianapolis circuit

Connor Zilisch, the prodigy for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Xfinity Series team, has commented on competing at the prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He stated that he grew up watching the crown jewel event, the Indianapolis 500, which is sure to have been a great influence on the young driver.

Zilisch began karting at a young age and quickly made a name for himself by winning numerous championships and consistently coming out on top. Once he made the jump to car racing, he showed he could also race competitively in several entry-level Formula and sports car categories, while racing in several series with different types of cars.

The 19-year-old is known for his smooth driving style, ability to drive many different types of vehicles, and has shown maturity beyond his years. He is enjoying a strong rookie season with JR Motorsports and has four wins to his name.

Ahead of the Pennzoil 250, Zilisch shared his fond memories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Yeah, it's awesome. I've been here on the road course a couple of times, but running the oval is definitely a unique experience. It's really cool. I grew up watching Indy 500s and it was such an iconic racetrack. Really cool to make my first laps on the oval and run across the bricks. It's always a special feeling and even cooler to have a fast car. Excited for the race tomorrow. This package is definitely unique, having low horsepower and just different from what I'm used to. It'll be cool, I think," said Zilisch pre-race via Cup Scene. (0:40 onwards)

Looking ahead, Connor Zilisch will aim to build on his early successes with ambitions to ascend into the NASCAR Cup Series.

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Connor Zilisch shared his thoughts after dominating Dover race

Connor Zilisch won the rain-shortened BetRivers 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, marking his fourth victory of the 2025 season and fifth career Xfinity win. Despite starting third, Zilisch controlled much of the race, leading 77 of the 134 laps before the event was called early due to rain.

Zilisch's team executed fast pit stops and key adjustments that helped maintain his lead, and although he expressed disappointment that the race didn't finish under normal conditions, he credited his team for their performance and was proud of their effort. On the CW Sports broadcast, he said:

“Yeah we’ve been showing it lately. First of all I hate that we couldn’t finish the race, the right way. You know Aric was really fast and was going to give me a run for my money. Props to him for being there and making me work for it.”

This victory further elevated Connor Zilisch's position in the 2025 Xfinity Series standings, moving him into second place, just 56 points behind series leader and JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl