Chevrolet's role in Connor Zilisch’s Cup promotion revealed by Trackhouse Racing co-owner

Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks credits Chevrolet’s early financial backing for securing Connor Zilisch’s future in the NASCAR Cup Series

Just hours before the NASCAR Cup regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks discussed the important role Chevrolet had in securing and retaining Connor Zilisch. This comes as the young driver has been confirmed to be racing in the Cup Series with a multi-year deal with the team.

Speaking at the superspeedway to Alt Driver, where it was confirmed that Zilisch would be Trackhouse's third full-time Cup driver for next year, Marks discussed the role Chevrolet played in his rise.

"We went to Chevy and said, 'We want to bring this kid in, we want to fund him in the Xfinity series.' We didn't really have a sponsor signed yet, so after we made the monetary commitment to put him in at JRM, it was after that that we signed WeatherTech."

The semi-retired racing driver continued, adding that it was Chevrolet's financial backing which allowed the team to fully flesh out Zilisch's talents.

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

"But it was also Chevrolet making the investment that gave us some momentum and allowed us to do that. It's important. The OEMs, we feel that they need to control some of their future as well and allocate funding and resources to the next generation of drivers.

"So we pushed really hard with Connor, and luckily for us, they made that commitment. I think the fact that Chevy made the commitment to give him the opportunity at JRM is not lost on him. He's a loyal kid, and I think that he's a big part of Chevrolet's future."

This loyalty looks to be well-founded, with the 19-year-old boasting an impressive Xfinity career after starting racing in the series in late 2024, driving for JR Motorsports while being under Trackhouse Racing's driver development program.

He quickly became a standout driver.

Dr Eric Warren, GM's vice president of Global Motorsports Competition, was highly complimentary.

"He got wrecked in a Trans Am race at Detroit a couple of years ago. How he responded, how he acted, how he came back the next day and won...