NASCAR: 18-year-old phenom lands full-time promotion for 2025

Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing Team certainly knew what they were doing when they signed Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Connor Zilisch to a multi-year development deal ahead of the 2024 NASCAR season.

The Charlotte, North Carolina native, who just turned 18 years old in late July, already has an incredible racing record. He made his NASCAR national series debut at Circuit of the Americas in March and finished in fourth place for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series race after qualifying on pole.

In seven ARCA starts, he has earned four victories and finishes of second, third, and fourth place, giving him an average finish of 1.86. He is set to make his Xfinity Series debut for JR Motorsports next month at Watkins Glen International, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet on Saturday, September 14.

In addition to that race, he is set to compete for the team at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 28; Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 26; and Phoenix Raceway to wrap up the season on Saturday, November 9.

But even before making his Xfinity Series debut, he has signed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team to compete full-time next year, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

Connor Zilisch joins JR Motorsports full-time

Though he needs to compete in the Xfinity Series first, a promotion to the Cup Series looks inevitable for Zilisch at some point in the near future, and now he has the best chance he's ever had to prove himself worthy of the next step up.

He has won multiple Late Model races and even several sports car events other than the Rolex 24, all before turning 18, and now he has landed an opportunity to compete for Xfinity Series wins.

Trackhouse Racing Team, which is owned by both Marks and Pitbull, currently run two full-time entries for Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, but they are planning to expand to three cars next year.

Shane van Gisbergen, whom the team also already have under contract, currently competes full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and is widely believed to the be the most likely addition to Trackhouse Racing Team's full-time Cup Series roster next year.

Driving for the team's PROJECT91 program on the streets of Chicago last year, van Gisbergen became the first driver to win on Cup Series debut since 1963.

The team also have Zane Smith under contract, and they are currently loaning him out to Spire Motorsports. Smith is not expected to return to Spire Motorsports next year, and his future as a Trackhouse Racing Team-affiliated driver remains in question.

All things considered, Trackhouse Racing Team certainly have a boatload of talent from which to choose to form their future driver lineups, and now perhaps the brightest young star of them all has landed a competitive ride in the series just below NASCAR's best.