Connor Zilisch To Attempt Triple Duty At The Glen
by racerx55 May 6, 2026 0 commentsStory by Trish McCormack/TheFourthTurn.com
WATKINS GLEN, NY – Connor Zilisch will attempt to run all three major NASCAR events this weekend at Watkins Glen International alongside his Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain.
Zilisch is no stranger to winning at road courses, especially at Watkins Glen, where he will compete not only in the NASCAR Cup Series, but in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well. Zilisch will pilot the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado on Friday for Spire Motorsports, and on Saturday, he’ll be behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports. Sunday will mark his first start in the NASCAR Cup Series at The Glen. Throughout the entire weekend, he’ll be going head-to-head with Gisbergen and Chastain who will also be pulling triple duty.
“All three of us are good friends and we love racing against each other and making each other better,” Zilisch said about his Trackhouse Racing teammates. “It’s going to be cool to have all three of us running triple duty.”
Although being the only rookie contending in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, Zilisch has found great success at road courses throughout NASCAR’s national series. He won his debut start in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen in 2024. Zilisch then followed up the win with an eventful trip to Victory Lane again in the series in 2025, where his foot became entangled in his window net during his celebration causing him to fall from his car and to go viral on social media.
“I have memes on X every week about me falling and after (Carson) Hocevar did what he did (Talladega victory celebration), I got tagged in so many things saying ‘don’t let Connor do this’,” Zilisch said. “It was a little bit scary at first, and I’m sure my mom won’t laugh about it still today, but at least I can laugh about it.”
This weekend marks Zilisch’s third overall trip to Watkins Glen; however, this will be the first time he has attempted to compete in all three series at the New York road course, where each vehicle is different. When it comes to the differences between the cars, Zilisch says that the NASCAR Cup Series car can be less forgiving, which is a big deal when racing around the tight corners of The Glen.
“There are obviously a lot of differences, the tires are a big one with the smaller sidewall,” Zilisch said. “It’s a little bit less forgiving and the cars themselves are a bit more rigid and that makes a big difference as a driver.”
Regardless of what he drives, Zilisch is competitive at road courses. Being back at Watkins Glen where he earned his first NASCAR National Series win, brings an additional boost of confidence for the 19-year-old from Mooresville, NC.
NASCAR returns to Watkins Glen International this weekend with the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 100 at The Glen and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen (FS1, 4:30 p.m.) on Friday, May 8. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Mission 200 at The Glen (CW Network, 4 p.m.) will take place on Saturday, and capping the weekend off is the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen (FS1, 3 p.m.) on Sunday, May 10.
Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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