Connor Zilisch, a 19-year-old driver with seven victories in NASCAR's Xfinity Series this season, is moving up to the Cup Series in 2026

August 24 - Connor Zilisch officially received a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series for 2026 on Saturday. While that news hardly was surprising given Zilisch recorded seven victories in the Xfinity series, the 19-year-old still became emotional when reality settled in that Trackhouse Racing signed him to a multi-year contract.

After winning there, Zilisch fell off of his race car and broke his collarbone. Instead of risking an aggravation to the injury, the team called on Parker Kligerman to swap out at the start of the Wawa 250. It turns out a fast driver swap was a key to the race, but it wasn’t easy.