Connor Zilisch reveals why his Supercars dream with Austin Cindric won't happen this year

NASCAR sensation Connor Zilisch revealed why he will not participate in the Supercars racing series this season. Speaking to the media ahead of his Xfinity Series race at Talladega, Zilisch revealed that he will not be able to make it this year.

Zilisch opened up about his Supercars future in an interview with renowned NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck. When asked about why he will not be able to join Team Penske driver Austin Cindric, here's what the JR Motorsports driver 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."

Notably, Zilisch's plan to enter the Supercars series will have to wait for another year after Triple Eight Race Engineering signed up to race with Ford. This has become an issue since Zilisch is a Chevrolet loyalist.

The #88 driver races with Chevrolet Camaros in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, and is also set to make a debut in a Chevrolet at the Daytona 24 Hours alongside Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin.

Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, will race in the Supercars series in Adelaide, along with Austin Cindric, who will drive the Tickford Racing Ford Mustang. There will also be an Xfinity Series racer, albeit in Super2. Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing will enter the race for Terry Wyhoon's Image Racing.

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Connor Zilisch through to Championship 4 after Talladega race

Thanks to his massive points cushion, Connor Zilisch qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 at the Phoenix Raceway. Along with him, his teammate, Justin Allgaier, also qualified for the final round.

Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 First Bank of Alabama Chevrolet, prepares to qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 18, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama - Source: Getty

Connor Zilisch, who won 10 races this season, had +82 points to his name going into the Talladega Xfinity Series race. Thanks to his tally, he qualified for the final round despite getting wrecked in Stage 2 of the race. Austin Hill won the Talladega race, as he finished ahead of Kvapil and Allgaier.

Allgaier also had +44 points to his name before the race, and after finishing in third on Saturday, he too was through to the final round. With six drivers still in contention for the final round, two places are available.

Jesse Love, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, Carson Kvapil, and Sammy Smith are still in contention. Love has the most advantage for the next round as he is with +40 points above the cutline, followed by Sammy Smith with +11 points.