Teenager Connor Zilisch wins on his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, NY — Connor Zilisch was feeling pretty good on a Saturday night, acting like so many teenagers, when he slammed an energy drink on the table and started scrolling through his phone.

Then Zilisch interrupted his reporter round because he had to take a call.

“From Dale,” he said.

Yes, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Hall of Fame driver who now drives for Zilisch in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.

That Zilisch could have spent the rest of the night scrolling through congratulatory texts and TikTok highlights — and maybe taking even more calls from famous names — is what sets him apart from most other teenagers. The 18-year-old is the next big star, winning a NASCAR race.

Zilisch drove to victory in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, saving enough gas during a crash-ruined finish at Watkins Glen International to give the teen star the first win of what many in the industry expect to be a career full of checkered flags.

“I worked so hard for this,” Zilisch said. “I worked on it for months. It’s so special.”

Zilisch, who turned 18 in July, led most of the race in the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and was far superior to the chaos at the back of the field, but had to conserve his fuel.

The race was red-flagged for about 20 minutes – Zilisch passed the time by radioing his team with college football scores – and eventually went into double overtime. However, there was never a serious battle for the lead on the 2.45-mile race track.

“It’s just a relief to know I can compete against these guys,” Zilisch said.

NASCAR drivers consider Zilisch to be one of the next big stars of the future.

“It’s cool when people tell me that,” he said. “I still have a long way to go, a lot of races.”

His future really began in Watkins Glen.

“He’s been really impressive,” said Cup driver William Byron. “He does everything right and is really fast out there.”

Sheldon Creed finished second, followed by AJ Allmendinger, Chandler Smith and Shane van Gisbergen.

Zilisch drove go-karts before school and raced in Europe until former NASCAR star Kevin Harvick persuaded him to try stock car racing. Zilisch signed a multi-year development deal with Trackhouse Racing earlier this year.

He has competed in several series this year, including CARS Tour, ARCA, Trans-Am, IMSA and Trucks, and when he turned 18 in July, he competed in four Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports.

Due to his age, he is eligible to compete in IMSA sports car racing. In January, he made his debut as an endurance driver for Era Motorsports, taking victories in the LMP2 class at both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Zilisch made an immediate impression at The Glen when he crushed the field the night before to win the ARCA series race.

Zilisch has only started in the national NASCAR ranks twice in his career, both times in the Truck Series earlier this season. Pressure? He took the pole and finished fourth at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

He landed on an Xfinity team that all but guaranteed future success.

Zilisch joins Earnhardt’s team, a perennial contender for the Xfinity title that has helped Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Byron and Tyler Reddick, among others, launch their Cup Series careers. He will finish this season for Earnhardt with speedway starts at Kansas, Homestead-Miami and Phoenix.

Zilisch had time to chat with the boss.

“Thanks, I appreciate it, Dale. It’s cool, it’s really cool,” Zilisch said into the phone. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It’s a pleasure to drive for you guys.”

Zilisch held up his phone so everyone could hear the familiar voice of NASCAR’s 15-time most popular driver.

“Give everyone a shout out from me,” Earnhardt said with a laugh.

Zilisch took pole and won the first stage before suffering his only setback of the race: a penalty for cutting the track during a yellow period that dropped him out of the top three.

He was able to regain his lead late and take the win – yes, a dream come true.

“When you go into your debut like that, you have to think about a lot,” said Zilisch. “I had my own hotel room, so no one to talk to. I just lay there and thought and dreamed of winning.”

Zilisch was the seventh driver in Xfinity history to win his first race in the second-tier series.

But don’t worry – because he is only 18, Zilisch was forced to spray an energy drink on the road to victory.

“I prepare for every race as if it were the most important race of my life,” he said. “That’s what I did today.”