NASCAR prodigy Connor Zilisch bids for the Hendrick Motorsports star to make a ‘comeback’ in Rolex 24 at Daytona

Trackhouse Racing development driver Connor Zilisch expressed his desire to see Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson making a comeback at the famed endurance race at the Daytona International Speedway. The 18-year-old Zilisch finished the Rolex 24 race at P9 with Justin Marks's Cup Series team last weekend.

In a post-race conversation with Frontstretch, the North Carolina native Zilisch was asked about the drivers he'd want to see in the sports car racing event. He said:

"I'd love to see a bunch of guys come out here. It's tough. It's hard to get a drive in this stuff. So many factory guys taking up seats, but Kyle Larson, I want to see him come back out here and do it again." [0:40 onwards]

Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, has competed in three 24 Hours at Daytona racing events. He made his debut with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014 and finished eighth. However, Larson returned to Daytona Beach the next year and secured the Rolex.

In the same conversation, Zilisch also voiced his desire for his Trackhouse Cup Series teammates to make a mark in the iconic endurance race.

"My track house teammates, Ross [Chastain] and Daniel [Suarez], be cool to have them out as well." Zilisch said. Yeah, I want to see more NASCAR presence in this race for sure."

Connor Zilisch teamed up with Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin, and SportsCar veteran Ben Keating where the the drivers marked Trackhouse Racing's debut in the IMSA SportCar Championship.

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"Hopefully, it's not the last time": Connor Zilisch voiced his 'frustration' after the Rolex 24 stint

During the Rolex 24 race, Trackhouse Racing's No. 91 Corvette mostly ran in the middle of the pack, with brief moments of contention in the top five.

In the final hours, Connor Zilisch was handed the reins of the SportCar to drive it past the checkered flag. With one hour to go, Zilisch was contending for a podium finish. However, a mistake that spun the car resulted in a pass-through penalty, which made the team finish in ninth place.

Reflecting on this incident, Zilisch in a conversation with Bob Pockrass said:

"One mistake can cost you. Had a ton of fun, though. I mean, this was such a cool event with the team and our drivers. It was such a cool driver lineup, and I'm glad that Justin was able to make this happen and make this possible. Yeah, we were running third with an hour to go, and one mistake, we get a drive-through and end our race. So, frustrating, but hopefully it's not the last time I'll be back at this race."

The young NASCAR sensation will now prepare for his rookie Xfinity Season with JR Motorsports and a one-off race marking his Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing.