Rising NASCAR star Connor Zilisch keen to race Supercars
Zilisch was linked to a 2025 wildcard appearance in Adelaide
American is teammate to Shane van Gisbergen at Trackhouse
Rising NASCAR Cup Series star Connor Zilisch maintains he’d “love to” race in Supercars, provided the “right” opportunity presented itself.
Zilisch is touted as one of the hottest prospects in NASCAR, and is set to complete his maiden Cup season this weekend in Miami.
The 20-year-old is teammates to three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen at Trackhouse Racing, and will move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028.
Zilisch was linked to a wildcard start at the 2025 bp Adelaide Grand Final, where NASCAR rival Austin Cindric raced a Tickford Racing-prepared Mustang.
Last year, Zilisch said: “It won’t happen this year, but hopefully down the road, I want to make something like that happen. I always enjoy racing against the best in a different country and seeing what they have to offer.”
Speaking with media at Homestead-Miami, Zilisch echoed his previous comments, but was firm on the belief that he wouldn’t be there to make up the numbers.
The 2025 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series runner-up cited Triple Eight’s move from General Motors to Ford as a key turning point in his plans.
“I’d love to. I’d love to go do that,” Zilisch said. “It’s tough. They lost their biggest Chevrolet team, and then that makes it a little harder to get a top ride.
“If I’m going to go over there, I want to do it right, and not just go over there to do it.
“If the right opportunity were to come, I would definitely take it, but the opportunity would have to be right.”
Zilisch’s comments were a response to the news that 2025 O'Reilly champion Jesse Love will return to the DUNLOP Super2 Series in Adelaide later this month.
Love, who will rise to the Cup Series with Wood Brothers and Ford next year, returns to Australia in an Image Racing-run Holden Commodore.
The door is open for GM talent to tackle Australia, GM Motorsports Supercars Racing Program Manager Simon McNamara telling Supercars.com: “We want to be the strongest OEM.
“We’re looking to get youth on the pathway, whether that’s taking a young driver over to the US, or bringing one over here. And that’s not just drivers, but engineers too, giving them opportunities and getting them experience.
“It’s about what we want to do in building a global motorsport program, beyond doing some global activities with GM drivers.”
