Connor Zilisch being interviewed by CW Sports on pit road in Atlanta. – Motorsport America Photo
NASCAR Cup Series rookie, Connor Zilisch, met with the media in advance
of the Cook-Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
You had a stellar season last year. Coming into the Cup Series, the
obvious question is — how much of that success do you feel like you can
transfer into this opportunity? And then also, putting behind you
stellar season, but coming up just one spot short for that championship
run last year?
“Yeah, last year definitely lights a fire under me to go out and chase
something that I’ve wanted to accomplish for a long time. I know I
couldn’t win the championship last year, and I know it’s going to be
way, way different this season. So, I don’t have any expectations to go
out and win a championship at all. But I definitely want to work towards
that and one day be able to be in the position to go out and win one.
But I’m just excited for this season to go out and learn; have fun and
enjoy it. I know it’s going to be a challenge. I know it’s going to be
tougher than it was last year, and I’m ready for that.”
I remember last year I asked a question about the goals that you and
your crew chief set in the NOAPS. Have you and your team set similar
goals in the Cup Series for this year?
“No, I haven’t really set any goals for myself. I don’t really know
what to expect coming into this year, so it’s hard to set expectations
when there’s so much new for me and my team.
I’m excited. You know, my biggest goal is to be a better driver at the
end of the year than I am today, and if I can accomplish that, then I’d
be satisfied.”
Every Cup Series veteran says there’s nothing that can really prepare
them for once they get to this level. And I’m curious, what has been the
best advice and from who, from those who have done it, that you’ve kind
of reached out to say — hey, what do I need to do to be like you guys?
“Yeah, I mean, I think everybody I’ve talked to has told me that it’s
going to be harder than I expect it to be. I think after 10 to 15 guys
that have done it have told me that, I think that’s when it finally
starts to sink in and you realize that — OK, maybe these guys aren’t
lying to me.
I’ve definitely gotten some great advice from a lot of people. But
overall, I’d say the biggest thing is just to not let the stress and
pressure of racing at the highest level overcome the amount of life
lessons and the enjoyment of living out your dream. I think that’s, for
me, the biggest thing is that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how
many bad days and good days there’s going to be, to just remember that
you are living out your childhood dream. You made it to where you want
to be and just remember to enjoy it.”
You haven’t ran a short-track in a Cup car just yet. How do you
approach this practice and qualifying session?
“Yeah, I mean, it’s going to be a lot to figure out quickly. I’m in
Group One. The track’s obviously been sitting here for a while and
hasn’t had the best weather on it the last week and a half, two weeks,
so by no means is practice going to be an indicator of how qualifying is
going to be. But I got to test at North Wilkesboro a couple weeks ago
and get a little bit of short-track experience. But yeah, this track’s
going to be a lot different than North Wilkesboro was.
So yeah, I’m just going to have to learn quick, adapt quick and figure
it out on the go. But it’s certainly not going to be easy today. I know
that already being in Group One, we’re all at a bit of a disadvantage
just with how the track’s going to evolve. But everybody has kind of
been dealt the same card, so you’ve got to figure it out, deal with it
and make the most of the situation you’ve got.”
Bowman Gray is a different animal from, let’s say, Martinsville, where
you kind of experienced that last year. Is there any way you can prepare
for the level of physicality this track provides, or is it just you go
out there and see what happens?
“Yeah, I mean, there’s no way to prepare for it, right? You can go on
iRacing, and I’m sure that iRacing would probably be pretty similar to
how it’s going to be today with everybody hitting each other. And that’s
really the only way to pass. It’s hard to pass here without making
contact, so it just leads to being a physical race. I think everybody
knows that coming in, so that’s why you don’t see tempers flare.
Obviously, people get upset, and you can get mad. But at the end of the
day, it’s expected.
It’s bound to happen. You can’t let it get to you. You can’t get
emotional. You’ve just got to focus on making your next best corner and
making the most of the next opportunity you have.
It’s certainly going to be new to me. I’ve never raced at a track like
this before. I raced at Flat Rock in Michigan in the ARCA Series once,
but ARCA is obviously a lot different than the Cup Series.
It’s going to be an experience for me, and I’ve got a lot to learn, but
I’m excited. I mean, I feel like starting off the year here, it’s kind
of low pressure. We’re not racing for points. Just go out and do your
best to make the show.”
You kind of mentioned earlier you don’t have expectations going into
this year in regards to goals. But now that you have had time to reflect
on last year, is there anything that you felt like you struggled on the
most that maybe you want to get better at for this year as a driver?
“Yeah, I mean, we all have our struggles, right? And nobody’s perfect.
Obviously I feel like there’s things that I can work on. I feel like
last year, there were a couple of tracks I struggled at, and I feel like
I did let myself get a little bit too comfortable at points. I knew my
cars were going to be good every week, and that can lead to having that
expectation that no matter what happens, I’m going to go out and contend
for a win, and I think that’s a bad mindset to have. So obviously that’s
not going to be the case this year. I’m not going to have the
expectation to go out and win every week, so that’s going to change. But
I feel like just making sure that I stay hungry no matter what’s going
on is important. and I think that that’s going to be more so the case
this year, with the fact that I’m going to have to catch up to the guys
that I’m around. And I know that going into it, so I’m ready for that
challenge. I know I’ve got a lot ahead of me. I’ve got a lot of races
ahead of me. I’ve got a lot of experience and lessons over the next 40
weeks. But that excites me.”
We always hear seat time is critical. You can’t get enough seat time.
But you’ve already been in the Rolex 24. You finished second there. So
already having that in there, how does running the Rolex 24 help you
prepare for what you’re facing now?
“I don’t know if it really gets any more opposite than the Rolex 24 in
a hybrid hypercar versus coming to Bowman Gray in a Cup car (laughs).
But it’s good to get all the muscles warmed up and get back in a
competitive spirit. That was my first time racing at the highest level
of IMSA. And, you know, I’m going into my first year in the Cup Series,
which is the highest level of NASCAR. So it was good to get that
challenge. I struggled at first in that, just like I expect to have to
learn here, as well.
I’m just excited to go through it, right? I’ve got a great team around
me with Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet. Did the Rolex prepare me for
today? I wouldn’t say those two correlate all that much. But the
experience of racing at the highest level and having a lot of great
people around me and surrounding me at that race is definitely helpful.
And the more experience like that I can get, the better. So, yeah, I’m
excited for this season. I’ve got a lot to look forward to with a great
team around me at Trackhouse and great teammates with Shane (Van
Gisbergen) and Ross (Chastain). Yeah, just excited to hopefully make the
most of it.”
To that point about practice, it’s been a few years since we’ve had any
practice and all that stuff. I assume teams have adapted to that. But
with drivers coming up, what does allow you to close the gap, if at all?
Is it sim? Do you still watch tape? What can help a young driver now
that we’ve had a few years that maybe you can look back on?
“Yeah, I mean, it’s tough. There’s not really an answer to that one.
You know, I’m 19 years old, and 15 years ago, you’d say the way to make
up the experience is to just go pound laps each week and be at the track
four days a week and test every day. But, you know, nowadays, there is
no way to make up experience, right? Everyone runs the same amount of
laps each year. We all race 38 weekends, and we all practice and qualify
each week, and that’s all we do. So, you know, no matter what I do, I’m
lacking four years of Next Gen experience compared to the guys that I’m
racing against.
So yeah, you can do as much as you can. I’ve got a great group of people
at Chevrolet with Josh Wise and everybody over there who I work with
each week to prepare. But at the end of the day, there is no way to make
up experience. And at the highest level, that’s tough to accept. But,
you know, I’m in a spot where I have to adapt and learn and figure
things out quickly. I think all the rookies who have gone to the Cup
Series know that. They understand that you can’t sit here and complain
about it because there’s nothing you can do about it. So, yeah, you’ve
just got to figure things out quickly; adapt and be adaptable, and I
think that’s the only way you can do it. The simulators are great. They
help. But at the end of the day, it’s nothing like strapping into a race
car and going out and racing for real.”
You talked about how tonight is a low-pressure situation and kind of
wanting to navigate and don’t let the highs get too high and lows get
too low. I’m curious, with making this transition and leap, what is some
specific advice that you’ve received from veteran drivers or other
people across the sport when embarking on this rookie campaign?
“Yeah, I feel like I touched on it a little bit. I’ve had a lot of
people tell me that it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have a
lot of bad weeks, and you’re going to lose a lot more than you’re going
to win. I feel like I’ve had a lot of great advice. I want people to be
honest with me. I don’t want people to fluff me. You know, I want to be
able to get honest advice from people that I can trust, and I feel like
I’ve gotten that. I feel like going into this year, my biggest goal and
my mindset is just to try and get better each week and kind of ignore
what the results are because the results will fluctuate. You know,
you’ll have good weeks and bad weeks, but if I look back on the year and
I say that I’m the same driver today that I will be in November at
Homestead, then that’s when I know that I’ve done something wrong.
So I’d say the biggest advice and the advice I’ve heard the most is just
to have fun and enjoy it. Don’t let it get to you. Don’t let the moment
be too big. Just always remember to try and have fun because if you’re
going to be here for a long time, you can get burnt out quick, if you
are too hard on yourself.”