DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Connor Zilisch securing his future in the Cup Series this early may not surprise those who have watched him compete. Yet, Trackhouse Racing knows this only became possible due to a major investment from Chevrolet.
The OEM partner took a bit of gamble early on, and now it is reaping the rewards.
"We went to Chevy and said, 'We want to bring this kid in, we want to fund him in the Xfinity series,'" Justin Marks told AltDriver after announcing that Zilisch will move to Cup in 2026. "We didn't really have a sponsor signed yet, so after we made the monetary commitment to put him in at JRM, it was after that, that we signed WeatherTech.
"But it was also Chevrolet making the investment that gave us some momentum and allowed us to do that. It's important. The OEMs, we feel that they need to control some of their future as well and allocate funding and resources to the next generation of drivers. So we pushed really hard with Connor, and luckily for us, they made that commitment."
NASCAR is a sponsor-driven business. It's a common belief that some talented drivers don't necessarily get the opportunities due to a lack of funding. Zilisch, who hails from the sports car racing world, could have fallen into this category.
This is not what happened for the former Rolex 24 winner. Chevrolet made the investment early on, which helped Zilisch land a ride at JR Motorsports. He has capitalized by winning the most races in the series this season and taking control of the Rookie of the Year battle.
Of course, Chevrolet's decision to make an investment in Zilisch's future occurred long before he won his first Xfinity Series race with JR Motorsports. The executives saw how he performed in multiple other racing series and recognized that he did not simply possess raw speed behind the wheel.
"He got wrecked in a Trans Am race at Detroit a couple of years ago," explained Dr. Eric Warren, GM Vice President of Global Motorsports Competition. "How he responded, how he acted, how he came back the next day and won...
"Even Phoenix last year in the (Xfinity Series) championship race. If you go back and look -- he was right there in the mix with everybody towards the end -- his car control in that situation.
"I mean, it's just things you see there like, 'Okay, he's not just fast. He doesn't just speak well.' In the moment, he can maintain the speed and the awareness. And when you hear things with champions, like when it all slows down for them, all those elements is really what separates him."
This investment did not simply end after Chevrolet worked with Trackhouse Racing and WeatherTech to facilitate this full-time opportunity, which helped put Zilisch in championship contention.
The OEM continued to invest in the young driver through driving opportunities in various series, which helped him showcase his abilities regardless of vehicle.
Of course, this also increased the pressure on the OEM to ensure that Zilisch does not bolt for Ford or Toyota.
"We have a lot to do to keep him in the Chevrolet camp," Dr. Warren told AltDriver. "As he does well, there's a lot of people knocking on the door. And so we continue to give him those opportunities and build him up."
This investment paved the way for Zilisch to sign a multi-year deal to go Cup racing. Marks believes it also helped create a bit of brand loyalty that will last long into the young driver's career.
"I think the fact that Chevy made the commitment to give him the opportunity at JRM is not lost on him," Marks said. "He's a loyal kid, and I think that he's a big part of Chevrolet's future."