Connor Zilisch pumped after meeting 'one of his heroes' in ‘decent’ Coke 600

Trackhouse Racing development driver Connor Zilisch made his first Cup Series oval start in the Coca-Cola 600. Zilisch had the chance to race alongside his childhood hero, Jimmie Johnson, and was ironically collected in a wreck initiated by the seven-time champion. The 18-year-old managed to salvage a "decent" result from the crown jewel race.

Zilisch was born in 2006, right as the "Jimmie Johnson dynasty" began in NASCAR, with the former #48 Hendrick Motorsports driver winning five in a row between 2006-10 and later adding two more titles. Johnson made his 700th Cup Series start in the Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday, giving Zilisch the opportunity to race alongside his childhood hero.

Connor Zilisch commemorated his first Cup Series oval start by greeting Jimmie Johnson pre-race and later posted a photo with the NASCAR Hall of Famer. Johnson lined up 17th on the grid, while Zilisch started 33rd. The duo were involved in a crash early in Stage 2, which ended Johnson's race, while Zilisch secured a 23rd-place result.

"Got to race alongside one of my heroes growing up yesterday which was awesome. Had to ask for a pic😆 Congrats on 700 @JimmieJohnson 👊🏼 23rd for our @redbull team. Decent night. Got damage early on in a wreck and was never the same after that. Still such a cool experience!" the 18-year-old wrote on X.

Connor Zilisch has recovered from the back injury he sustained after a hard hit on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway. He missed the following Xfinity race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, where Kyle Larson won the race for the #88 JR Motorsports team.

Coming off his injury, Zilisch immediately made an impression with a second-place finish in the Xfinity race at Charlotte, finishing behind Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron.

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Shane van Gisbergen praises Connor Zilisch's "youthful experience"

Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen praised Connor Zilisch's performance in his first Cup Series oval start, highlighting the 18-year-old's contribution to the team. Both drivers are still learning the ropes of oval racing, but delivered impressive results in the Coca-Cola 600.

Gisbergen described 18-year-old Zilisch as a huge asset to the team, who brings youthful experience to Trackhouse Racing. He said:

"He's just a great young kid. A huge asset to the team with that youthful experience. He's done a lot of stuff, but he's still finding his way. [I] think he did fantastic to finish this race, he had some speed at points too, it's good to have him around." [via Frontstretch on YouTube]

Shane van Gisbergen, who has struggled on the ovals in his rookie Cup Series campaign, managed to secure a 14th-place result at Charlotte. Teammate Ross Chastain won the race, while Daniel Suarez crashed out of the race.

Connor Zilisch made his Cup Series debut at COTA earlier this year and insisted that he checked a lot of boxes during his first oval race at Charlotte. He added that, as of now, there are no plans for additional Cup starts this season.