Bob Pockrass
FOX NASCAR Insider
The big question surrounding prospect Connor Zilisch entering this year would be how he would perform on the ovals.
He has answered that over the last five months: He has performed just as hoped when signed by Trackhouse Racing earlier this year.
Before his 18th birthday last week, Zilisch won ARCA national series events at Dover (1-mile), Iowa (0.875-mile) and Indianapolis Raceway Park (0.625-mile). He also won an ARCA East race at Flat Rock (0.25-mile).
“I’m winning a lot of races and I feel like I’m putting in the work,” Zilisch said. “That’s the biggest thing. I’m going to make sure that nobody is going to outwork me to be better than me.”
Everyone already knew he could win on road courses — and he has two class victories in IMSA this year driving an LMP2 car.
Zilisch will get a chance this month on a big oval as he competes at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway in an ARCA race.
“The ovals are going to be a bit more of a question,” Zilisch said. “I feel like I’m getting really good at these shorter tracks. But obviously, when we get to the mile-and-a-halves and the bigger tracks, it’s going to be a little bit different.”
Having raced a truck at Circuit of the Americas and with plans to race a Spire truck at Richmond (0.75-mile oval), Talladega (2.66-mile), Homestead (1.5-mile) and Martinsville (0.526-mile) over the next few months, Zilisch also will drive in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Xfinity Series car at Watkins Glen (road course), Kansas (1.5-mile), Homestead (1.5-mile) and Phoenix (1-mile).
“When I get in the Xfinity car and you’re sideways through the corner, that’s going to be my biggest thing,” Zilisch said. “I’m already getting sim time with JRM and everyone over there is making sure that I’m prepared for when I go racing on those big tracks.”
Zilisch is working with Josh Wise as part of the Chevrolet program.
“It is all about preparation for me,” Zilisch said. “It’s not going to get any easier. … It’s definitely going to be tougher, but it’s something that I’m going to have to get used to.”
Zilisch has moved up to second in my midseason prospect rankings. A couple of qualifiers for this list: A driver must be 28 or younger and not have a full season of Cup experience to be eligible for these rankings. Rankings are based on the potential to land a Cup ride with talent/performance and age the biggest factors along with the ability to acquire/having access to funding also considered.
1. Corey Heim (age: 22; previous ranking: 1): Heim leads the truck series with five victories while he sits second in the standings (he’d be leading if not for a DQ at Charlotte for three loose lugnuts). The Tricon driver also is the simulator and backup driver for 23XI Racing and Legacy Motor Club. He might not be full-time Cup for another couple of years, but he will get there eventually.
2. Connor Zilisch (age: 18; previous ranking: 6): Zilisch, who is signed with Trackhouse Racing, leads the ARCA East standings and has done everything to prove he is a top prospect except to race on the bigger ovals. He’ll get that chance starting this month as he just turned 18. He will drive for Spire in trucks and JR Motorsports in Xfinity.
Connor Zilisch on learning ovals for upcoming races
3. Chandler Smith (age: 22; previous ranking: 3): Smith has two Xfinity wins and sits fourth in the standings as he is a championship contender. He hasn’t always been the most consistent and funding could be a challenge, but he has shown enough in the Joe Gibbs Racing equipment to be considered a top prospect.
4. Jesse Love (age: 19; previous ranking: 5): Love has one victory and sits seventh in the Xfinity standings. What makes this most impressive is this is his first full year of NASCAR national series racing. The Richard Childress Racing driver has handled the rigors of the schedule well, although he probably wishes his performance remained as strong as it was earlier in the year.
5. Christian Eckes (age: 23; previous ranking: 8): Eckes has three truck wins and is the truck series points leader. He has lifted a McAnally-Hilgemann truck program that had not had truck success previously. It appears an Xfinity Series ride next year in his future.
6. Brent Crews (age: 16; previous ranking: 7): Crews, driving for Kevin Harvick Inc., is second in the CARS Tour late model stock standings with two wins and four top-5s in nine starts. He is an accomplished road racer and was second at the ARCA race at Mid-Ohio this year.
7. Sam Mayer (age: 21; previous ranking: 2): Mayer has two victories but sits 12th in the Xfinity standings. Part of that is not his fault as he has had some bad luck, but the JR Motorsports driver has found himself in the middle of too many incidents. He has some funding and is a candidate for some open Cup rides.
Sam Mayer on coming into the season with confidence and feeling he can be a championship contender
8. Nick Sanchez (age: 23; previous ranking: 10): Sanchez has two victories and sits fourth in the truck series standings. He is still a little inconsistent but has shown steady improvement in the trucks in his second season driving for Rev Racing.
9. Taylor Gray (age: 19; previous ranking: 14): Gray is eighth in the truck standings and should make the playoffs. He hasn’t won a race but he has made significant strides in his second year of truck racing at Tricon.
10. Carson Kvapil (age: 21; previous ranking: 12): The two-time CARS Tour late model stock champion has been impressive in his six Xfinity Series starts this year for JR Motorsports with three top-5s and an average finish of 8.7.
11. William Sawalich (age: 17; previous ranking: 9): Sawalich has four wins in seven ARCA national series starts and sits second in the ARCA East standings as he tries to defend his title in that series. He will do the last three Xfinity Series races of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing after he turns 18.
12. Corey Day (age:18; previous ranking: NR): Remember how Kyle Larson was tearing it up in sprint cars across the nation before he made the move to NASCAR? Let us introduce you to Corey Day, who is on that same path and many believe is just as good as Larson. He already has driven a late model for JR Motorsports and expect to see him in more races for JRM over the rest of the season.
13. Riley Herbst (age: 25; previous ranking: 13): Herbst won at Indianapolis a couple weeks ago and sits fifth in the Xfinity standings driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. He is expected to make the move to Cup as he is the leading candidate for the third 23XI Racing car.
14. Sammy Smith (age: 20; previous ranking: 4): Smith has struggled in his move to JR Motorsports as he is winless and 11th in the standings, currently on the outside looking in (by three points) of a playoff spot. Still, he is young and his past performances have shown enough talent that there is serious potential.
15. Jade Avedisian (age: 17; previous ranking: 15): Avedisian is the defending Xtreme Outlaw Series champion but has moved to a stock-car path through Toyota Racing Development. She has competed in the Toyota GR Cup Series to learn road-course racing this year. The results have not been stellar, but the learning process in a transition to asphalt racing takes time.
16. Rajah Caruth (age: 22; previous ranking: 17): Caruth has one truck victory and sits fifth in the series standings, a strong improvement from his rookie season. The Spire Motorsports driver has the extra benefit/pressure of competing in a car branded with Rick Hendrick’s online car sales company.
Rajah Caruth on being a college student and racer at the same time
17. Layne Riggs (age 22; previous ranking: 11): Riggs has struggled in his truck rookie season as he sits 16th in the standings. But most felt it could be a struggle — and the Front Row Motorsports team he is driving for has many new crew members compared to its successful past. The key will be seeing improvement in 2025.
18. Brenden Queen (age 26: previous ranking: NR): Queen has two CARS Tour late model stock victories this year and was impressive in his truck debut for Tricon with a fourth-place finish at North Wilkesboro. A popular short-track driver, he would be considered next in line if someone is looking for the next Josh Berry.
19. Isabella Robusto (age: 19; previous ranking: 20): Robusto, a Toyota development driver, finished sixth in the ARCA race at Phoenix this year, her first ARCA start after learning the stock-car craft on short tracks. She has three top-5s in six ARCA regional series starts for Venturini Motorsports.
20. Gio Ruggiero (age: 17: previous ranking: NR): Ruggiero, also a Toyota development driver, has finished top-5 (with an average finish of third) in five ARCA national series starts this year. He sits third in the ARCA East standings behind Zilisch and Sawalich and earned the win in the opener at Pensacola.
25 others to watch: Tyler Ankrum, Toni Breidinger, Sheldon Creed, Hailie Deegan, Jake Drew, Daniel Dye, Luke Fenhaus, Jake Finch, Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Connor Hall, Katie Hettinger, Sean Hingorani, Kaden Honeycutt, Conner Jones, Derek Kraus, Caden Kvapil, Treyten Lapcevich, Landen Lewis, Connor Mosack, Andres Perez de Lara, George Phillips, Tyler Reif, Parker Retzlaff and Lavar Scott.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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