“Wouldn’t be here without you”: Connor Zilisch thanks $110M NASCAR legend who backed him in NASCAR ‘before anybody else’

NASCAR Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Watkins Glen - Source: Imagn
Connor Zilisch at NASCAR Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Watkins Glen - Source: Imagn

Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch recently announced his full-time Cup Series seat with Trackhouse Racing. NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick replied to a tweet posted on social media to congratulate the 19-year-old.

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Kevin Harvick, who is worth $110 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), recently reposted a tweet shared by Dustin Long and congratulated the Trackhouse Racing driver for securing a full-time seat with the team. He wrote:

"Congrats @ConnorZilisch! From the very beginning it was easy to see you had what it takes, on and off the track, to make it all the way…"
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Screenshot of Kevin Harvick's tweet @KevinHarvick
Screenshot of Kevin Harvick's tweet @KevinHarvick

To which the Charlotte native replied with:

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"Thank you for having faith in me before anybody else did! Wouldn’t be here without you"
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Connor Zilisch joined Trackhouse Racing's driver development program back in January 2024 and secured an Xfinity Series Drive with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports, where he won eight out of the 27 races with his recent win at Daytona International Speedway.

Zilisch had a horrific fall in the victory lane, resulting in a shattered collarbone, which prompted him to miss out on a few races. However, he raced halfway through the race at Daytona International Speedway before Parker Kligerman took over the car to win the race.

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Connor Zilisch talks about 'risk vs. rewards' planning to hand over his car to Parker Kligerman after the first caution

Connor Zilish recently spoke about Parker Kligerman taking over his car. He spoke about the same during the pre-race interview held at the Wawa 250 powered by Coca-Cola.

The 19-year-old has suffered two injuries so far, the first one being back in May, when he injured his back after Jesse Love sent Zilisch into the wall. The second one took place in August when Zilisch was celebrating his sixth win of the season.

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The JR Motorsports driver's foot got stuck in the window net, which resulted in him falling on the concrete in the victory lane. This caused the driver to have a shattered collarbone, and he was rushed to the hospital, and metal plates were used to stabilize the bone.

Connor Zilisch spoke about how he did not want to take any more risks and has decided to step out of the car after the first caution. He will be replaced by Parker Kligerman.

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"Parker's obviously going to be here, and we fitted him in the car, and he's gonna be ready to go. And, you know, odds are that, you know, just with the risk of, you know, having a record Daytona, you know, my record. Talladega, I had black and blue bruises down, down both of my, you know, shoulders from the belts, and just the impact on that. So, you know, I don't know if I'm gonna run the entire race or get out at, you know, a caution," Zilisch said [00:50 onwards].
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"You know, it's probably just gonna be how I feel. And you know, how I feel doesn't really matter, because, you know, if a wreck happens, you know, things could get much worse, really quickly. So yeah, really looking at the risk versus the reward," he added.

Connor Zilisch and Parker Kligerman won the race at Daytona after Kligerman overtook Sammy Smith to claim Zilisch his seventh victory.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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