NASCAR announcement confirms the end of an 11-year hiatus

Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old phenom who signed with Trackhouse Racing as a development driver last year, is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut during the upcoming 2025 season.

Zilisch is set to compete in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course on Sunday, March 2, and he is set to compete for the Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned Trackhouse team with sponsorship from Red Bull. He is set to drive the No. 87 Chevrolet.

The No. 87 has not been used in the Cup Series since July 2014. Timmy Hill drove the No. 87 Toyota for NEMCO Motorsports in that race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A total of 377 races have been contested since, and that number is set to grow to 379 before the COTA race.

Car No. 87 back in the NASCAR Cup Series

The No. 87 has appeared in 781 races over the years, dating back to the opening race of the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season, the inaugural season of professional stock car racing in the United State, at Charlotte Speedway.

Buck Baker is by far the most successful driver in the history of car No. 87, winning 26 races in 419 starts. The only other win in the car number's other 362 starts was earned by Jim Paschal.

The most recent win for the No. 87 was earned by Baker during the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.

Connor Zilisch's 2025 NASCAR plans

Zilisch is set to compete full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series this year after winning his series debut with the team at Watkins Glen International last year and competing in three other races.

Further Cup Series starts have not yet been confirmed for Zilisch for 2025, but it would not be surprising to see Trackhouse Racing expand his schedule as the season progresses.

The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 2.