Conor Zilisch reflects on mental shift and ‘Trial by Fire’ ahead of Coca-Cola 600 debut

Conor Zilisch is preparing for one of the biggest races of his career so far. The 18-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start, and his first on an oval, in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the process, he will also become the youngest driver to ever compete in the historic Memorial Day weekend race.

Conor Zilisch, who drives full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, was sidelined after a hard crash at Talladega that caused a lower back injury. That injury forced him to miss the last race at Texas, dropping him from seventh to 12th in the Xfinity points standings.

Now cleared to return, Zilisch will compete in both the BetMGM 300 on Saturday and the 600-mile Cup race on Sunday. The 18-year-old races part-time in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing and also has a personal services deal with Red Bull. He has been touted as one of the top prospects for a promotion to a full-time Cup ride in 2026.

Speaking about his upcoming attempt at the 600-mile race, Zilisch shared (via FOX Sports):

"It’s going to be tough. I don't expect to go and run well, ... but if I'm going to run in the Cup Series one day, I’ve got to be able to run those races. And there's no better way to get experience than trial by fire."

"It’s a long race that you can struggle the first half, and then you still have a full Xfinity race in the second half to come back from. There's a lot of time in that race. I feel like it'll be good for me to just get those reps, get the laps, and the more laps in that car, the better. That’s part of the reason, is they just want to get me laps in the car, since we can't go testing," he added.

Growing up in Charlotte, Conor Zilisch said he always dreamed of racing in the Coca-Cola 600. Now, at just 18 years old, he’ll get his shot in front of his home crowd.

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Conor Zilisch's scary crash at Talladega Superspeedway

Conor Zilisch suffered a frightening crash during the Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 26. He was leading the race on the final lap when he tried to block a move from Jesse Love. The two cars made contact, and Zilisch slammed head-on into the inside wall at high speed.

Despite the violent impact, Zilisch was able to climb out of the car. He was later checked and released from the infield care center.

"That was one of the wrecks when you move the legs and make sure everything feels okay afterwards,” Conor Zilisch said (via Motorsport.com). “Very grateful to drive safe JR Motorsports race cars. We were in the right spot. I haven't really watched it close enough to see what happened, but grateful to be up and walking."

Zilisch had already locked himself into the Xfinity Series playoffs with a win earlier in the season at Circuit of The Americas. NASCAR granted him a medical waiver after the crash, so he remains eligible for the postseason. Cup Series regular Kyle Larson filled in for Zilisch at Texas, driving the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports.