Can Zilisch ace the SVG test?

Please save us, Connor Zilisch.

Such could be the thoughts of some in the NASCAR Cup Series field, as well as pundits, as the first road course race of the season looms this weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Zilisch, the much-hyped 19-year-old phenom, is expected – and hoped by some – to be the driver that can potentially go toe-to-toe with his Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen. The latter, of course, was all but untouchable on the left-and-right-hand circuits a year ago.

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It’s a tall task. Zilisch, a rookie, is still getting his feet wet in the Cup Series even though he’s a road course ace in his own right.

“Shane is obviously really talented,” Zilisch said. “I’m not going to take that away from him; he’s done a really good job on the road course and has definitely shown all the drivers in the Cup Series what the limit is and how fast these cars can go around a road course, and it’s been really fun to watch.”

Van Gisbergen won five of the six road course races in the Cup Series last year. COTA, the only one that van Gisbergen did not win, was where Zilisch made his Cup Series debut. He qualified 14th and finished 37th after crashing with Daniel Suarez.

But in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, it was the Zilisch-vs-van-Gisbergen show on a road course. Zilisch won in his 2024 series debut at Watkins Glen, and last year, he won on five road courses, including Sonoma (pictured above) where he held off SVG's No. 9.

“I got the chance to race against him a few times toe-to-toe in the O’Reilly Series, and I think those cars are a little bit different for him, so it’s not a complete comparison, but I feel like I’ve been able to run with him in those,” Zilisch said. “We were teammates in the Corvette in the [Daytona] 24 Hours, and I felt like I was as fast as him in that. So, personally, I feel like I can do it – but putting an entire race together and being as consistent and not making mistakes like him is where it’s all going to come together.

“I feel like I have the speed to do it; I just need to be able to run a perfect race to be able to beat him. I think everybody has realized how difficult that is.”

Zilisch(left) is congratulated by van Gisbergen after their duel at Sonoma Raceway last July. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The driving talent of van Gisbergen, matched with his finesse of the race car, has impressed and frustrated the field. Zilisch also knows that managing his equipment will go a long way toward his success.

“I think one of the bigger things is the tire fall-off,” said Zilisch of what has stood out about the Cup Series car on road courses. “The Cup cars have quite a bit of tire fall-off over the course of a run and managing the rear tires is really important. … You definitely have to manage that and be able to keep your rear tires underneath the car over the course of a run to make speed throughout the entirety of the run. I think people always talk about the aero but from what I’ve felt at COTA, I didn’t feel it made too big of an impact on the cars getting through traffic, I was able to pass a lot of guys and make my way to the front.

“But not much really surprised me outside of that. I did a lot of simulator time before COTA last year and continuing to that now in preparation for this weekend. I feel pretty prepared and I don’t think anything is going to catch me off guard – at least I hope it doesn’t.”