Connor Zilisch Is Starting to Figure It Out | RISING, Ep. 1

The final checkered flag of the 2025 NASCAR XFINITY Series season. The driver that has stolen the show all season long, no doubt, has been Conor Zilich. He's gone to victory lane ten times. Conor Zilich drifts right up across the nose of Jesse Love. Love and Zilich, best buddies. They're certainly aware of what each of them is up against. Love's going to close in. Matter of fact, he's going to shut it down to a car length. Battle for the lead. Zilich and Love racing for a potential title. Able to slide up in front of his best friend and take the top spot. It is a storybook ending. Jesse Love wins at Phoenix and he is the 2025 XFINITY Series champion. You're the champ. So you're making me watch, Jesse? Welcome back, everyone, to another season of Rising, where our cameras are your guide to the best young talent in the sport. This year, we're going to do things a little differently. You'll still find the same hijinks. Look at that stash. The same drama. Oh, Carson Hosabar. Man, I didn't mean to do that. And the same life lessons for youngsters trying to claw their way to the top. Has anybody told you that you're wonderful yet today? Oh, nobody. But we'll have a couple of new characters. And a narrowed window into one week in their lives. It's a long week, though, so no need to rush. You've already met our first driver, Connor Zilich. What a day for Connor Zilich. The 20-year-old prodigy is having a tough go of it in his rookie year on the Cup Circuit. But maybe our cameras will bring him some well-earned luck. Fingers crossed. Second is Brendan Butterbean Queen. Oh, my Lord! Bean Nation, baby! Yes, that's really his nickname. Bean Nation's alive. We'll get to him, and I have a feeling you're going to like his vibe. Dude, there's going to be some bean fans pausing this. Then, of course, there's Carson Hosabar. Isn't this the greatest thing ever? Veteran of rising and pissing people off. Damn idiot, dude. Every week. Still don't know why he's really mad, other than I'm existing and I'm in the series, I guess. So sit back, relax and enjoy watching these three do their best to not screw up their dreams. In racing circles, Connor Zilich is the next big thing. The next coming of Jeff Gordon, the next this, the next that. Jesse, can you put the power on? Yeah, Connor, no problem. Thanks, bro. But Connor is brand new to the cup circuit, the pinnacle of racing in America. And while, yes, he's the next this and the next that, he's also just 20 years old, lives with his parents and is just kind of a normal dude. I love to get outside the house, especially in the summers. You know, when it's nice outside, we're on the lake a lot. You know, we do a lot of wake surfing on the boat and just have fun. My dad had a boat when I was younger and we'd always come up to the lake and surf. And I've gotten to do it quite a bit. So I'm better than all my friends out there. Liar. I'm not a liar. I'm an athlete. It's what I am. The reason he's the next big thing is mostly because of what he did in 2025. Connor Zilich is a road warrior. Ten wins. So young, so smooth, so fast. At one point, he won four races in a row. Connor Zilich is absolutely on fire. So even though he did lose the championship in season one of Rising to this guy. Camera guy knows what kind of shot the viewers want. He's earned the right to be called the next this or the next that. Those bricks look really kissable. Last year, I showed up to the track every weekend and I knew I was the guy to beat. And I knew that if I did my job, that I was going to have a great shot to win the race. The kid is an absolute superstar. You know, that feeling is certainly empowering and motivating and exciting. But Connor's rookie year in the Cup Series has been anything but empowering or exciting. Oh, we got a spin. The EDK. Zilich around. Contact. Gosh, man. Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. Third straight week, he's had a problem early in the race. Connor is not performing like we thought. So far, he's finished no higher than 14th and sits 34th in the standings. That's going to make his day extremely long. The Cup Series is no joke. When you get to the topic, it becomes a lot more difficult because all those guys are there for a reason. Yeah, I mean, it's it's just a whole different level. The teams, the drivers, everything is times 10. Racing is no different than any other sport and that you need confidence. The rookie Connor Zilich will lift that car back to pit lane. It directly correlates to quicker decisions and better execution. You're not carrying that car with your talent like you can in other series. So it's no surprise that the rough start is wearing on him. There is no mercy when it comes to Sundays. And, you know, it's it's brutal. I've lost some confidence through the bad weeks this year and just the bad races and, you know, the weeks where I've wrecked, you know, you start to forget who you are. And, you know, I have to tell myself that, you know, I know that I can do this. Are you going to do a snow angel? No way. You should see your face. When he was six or seven, everyone in karting knew Connor, not as Connor, but his nickname was Flipper. One of the very first races, he went out and hit someone else's wheel and the kart ended up flipping over and doing cartwheels. And he's sitting in the middle of the track with his go-kart rolling away. And he didn't want to get back in. He's like, now, what if I flip again? I'm like, Connor, nobody ever flips in go-karts. We convinced him to get in the car. First corner of the next race, someone spins and the guy rolls back in front of Connor. He hits the wheel, flips again. It took him took him probably 12 months before he would actually race. Kind of mental recovery. From the time I was born, I wanted to be the best at everything I did. When I was 11, I won a championship. And when you win this championship, you get a ticket to go race in the world championship race in Europe and ended up winning this world championship race. You're a winner of the United States go-kart. That was, you know, kind of when I realized, you know, maybe I am good enough to do this for the rest of my life. I ended up going back the next summer and and try and be one of the best in karting. He won that first race, but he kind of sucked for the rest of the couple of years. We sent him over there. A lot of a lot of struggling, a lot of battling and persevering. He was seeing the world and learning that everything didn't revolve around him. And I think that really opened his eyes and made him realize, you know, it's not as easy. It was kind of crazy in the moment I was driving through the Alps and traveling all across Europe to race go-karts. Just had to fend for myself more than I had ever in my life. There were growing pains, but I knew I was having way more fun there than I could ever have here. When I was younger, my mom was a gymnast. She worked a lot and spent a lot of time in the gym, getting good at what she does. It definitely helped me a lot. Just understanding how much hard work it takes to be the best in your discipline. Back in the 80s, I went off to Hungary and Romania and these places behind the Iron Curtain. And my parents just had to kind of let me go because they knew for me to be the best, I had to compete against the best. And so I understood that hard work and determination and striving to be the best was something that I instilled in him. Connor's learning how to wait for it very quickly. What are the odds I hit the dock today? So Connor is no stranger to adversity. Hit the back left. And with his rookie year halfway done, he only has so many more opportunities to reverse a nightmare season. I know that deep down somewhere inside of me, I'm better than 34th in points. You know, I don't I don't look in the mirror and see somebody that I didn't see last year. It's still me. And I know what I'm capable of. Thank you, Connor, so much for bringing us on the boat, man. We really appreciate it. Maybe we can do it again sometime. Yeah, that's something they never say. I feel the love. We say thank you by sending him the coupon. The track right now for Connor. Well, it kind of sucks. But luckily, this weekend in Sonoma, he'll have two cracks of turning his season around. Get to have some fun today. While things have been a struggle at the cup level, there's no doubt you can win. Zilich also races part time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts series. It's the circuit he dominated in twenty twenty five. He slips back into it like an old pair of racing shoes, having won twice already this season. And there's some additional hope this weekend since Sonoma is a road course, another place where Connor feels right at home. Road courses have always been a strong suit of mine. I feel like it's two opportunities to to get back on on two feet and get moving in the right direction. Connor Zilich, he is going to have to pass a lot of cars today. He starts 30th. He still believes in himself. The people around him believe in him, still recognize the potential. And it is just potential because he hasn't performed this year. All right, you got this, dude. Racing in the O'Reilly series, it's a breath of fresh air getting to kind of go be the man again. Perfect day for a final road course race of the year for the O'Reilly Auto Parts series. Cars rolling off. We're ready to go. All right, bud, being smart, be there at the end, you've still got a chance no matter what. Yes, sir. Thank you. He won two Trans Am races on street courses from going last to first. He's done it before. A little harder competition here, though. Green is out and we are racing in one country. Green flag, green flag. For Connor, winning has been hard enough this season, but on a road course like Sonoma, individual success is all the more difficult with a teammate like Shane Van Gisburg in the mix. Road courses present a unique opportunity to get track position. You can flip stages, you pit before the stage ends, stay on the lead lap, and then you don't have to pit when the caution comes out at the end of the stage. So we did that in stage one and we ended up running stage two all the way out. Connor Zilich comes back to the green and white checkered flag, 16th career stage win. How's your balance there? I'm better. I'm pretty happy with it. Five, four, three, two, one, right here. We'll take that on the break. Shane Van Gisburg is your race leader. Connor Zilich will restart in 12th after pitting here during the stage break. Shane was able to short pit the end of the second stage and get himself back to the lead to start stage three. And we started 12th. So, yeah, we had our work cut out for us. Shane Van Gisburg hammers the accelerator. Don't tear it up. Try to drive up through there. No flat spot. Connor Zilich trying to make a race out of it. Fastest car on the track right now. Feeling good. Really good. It was fun, at least for me, to get to pass a bunch of cars and have to work for it. Connor Zilich is on the chart. Connor Zilich has reset the fastest lap of the race a couple of times. Shane Van Gisburg and Connor Zilich kind of trading back and forth. That gap goes anywhere from 3.5 seconds up to four seconds. You know, I was going as hard as I could to try and catch him. Keep the pressure on and we'll see what happens. Connor Zilich not done. He's closed it down to Ted Carlich. Flag is in the air. Shane Van Gisburg will drive into victory lane. Connor Zilich comes home second. And it's a long way back to third. Just wasn't quite fast enough. Didn't have enough to catch him. It hurts coming up just a little bit short there, but it hurts him more than it hurts me. It was good for his confidence. I feel like our Roto-Rooter Chevrolet was fast enough to compete, giving me hope. A solid run for the one team. It's always good to go back and get good finishes in that in that series. And it's always a shot of confidence. Good morning, world. It is way too early for me. 7.45. It's Sunday morning, race day. I just want to have a day where I can leave and say that nothing went wrong. I mean, I feel like lately everything has gone wrong in every race and it's just been a complete disaster. So, you know, I don't I don't need to go win, but I just want to have a day where I can leave the track and be happy and not want to bang my head against the wall. You know, I've left the track upset a lot and certainly down on myself, which I don't want to have. So, yeah, hopefully we can have a day that just isn't talked about much and is clean and smooth and we can finish top 10 and leave here happy because I'm tired of leaving the track upset. Working with the fans. No, there's no special treatment for rookies here. Even for a phenom like Connor Zilich. His long walk to the track at Sonoma is emblematic of the climb he still has to make on the sport's brightest stage. Today is the day, right? Today's the day. I like the 6.7 hat. Yeah, you're going to win, right? I'm rooting for you. I got you. I know. I love it. I love it. Good luck today. And I know we've had a rough year, had a great run going in San Diego last week, and obviously that didn't didn't pan out for us. You know, obviously the season hasn't panned out the way we wanted it to, but, you know, we can we can booboo lip about it and be sad about it or we can do something about it. And today we can go out and do something about it. We can go out, turn this deal around, get us on the right track and get going forward. So that's what we need to do. We need to pull together as a team. Everybody give it their all and let's go out here and have a great day. Don't talk about it. Be about it. That's right. You tell us. That's right. Yeah. Getting set to go here at Sonoma Raceway. Thank you, guys. Thank you all day. Be good. Yes, sir. Take care of your stuff all day. We are going racing. The Toyota Sandbar 350 is green. Here comes the field. Two by two by two. They charge off the corner. Here comes Connor Zillig. The 88 continues to impress today. We had good pace and were able to move forward and, you know, put ourselves in a position to run up front. I feel like I expect that out of myself on the road courses. Two really talented road racers on the front row to begin the final stage. Shane Van Gisbergen next to the rookie, Connor Zillig. Track house teammates. They finished one, two yesterday in the O'Reilly race. It's Shane Van Gisbergen jumping on the throttle. But Connor Zillig is going to fight back to the inside as they head to turn one. Here comes the main event at the top of the hill. Let's see who gets around this corner the quickest. It looks like SVG is going to get it done. Keep the pressure on him. He'll burn his stuff up. Shane Van Gisbergen being chased by his Red Bull teammate, Connor Zillig. Zillig right on the back bumper. He's right on the rear deck, one of his teammates, Shane Van Gisbergen. Let him make mistakes and do it good. Connor Zillig has been salivating at an opportunity like this in his Young Cup Series career. Hanging one car length between his teammate, Shane Van Gisbergen. In this time, in this time, this time. Here comes Connor Zillig with 29 laps to go. Connor Zillig is in. Let's see what hitting a lap before Shane Van Gisbergen will do for him. Oh, and he's slow. He's stalling. Get fired up. Slow stop there for the idiot. That's going to cost him. Sorry about that. So when I stalled, you know, the dash went black and everything shut off and my cool shirt shut off as well. And I didn't realize it for probably a lap or so. We have a box in the car that runs cool liquid solution through the shirt and it was in a spot where I couldn't see it or feel it to turn it back on, especially under green. It's hard to reach down and do that under green. So yeah, it ran hot for the rest of the race. And it's worse than wearing a t-shirt when it gets hot because the water starts to boil basically inside the shirt and makes your entire body extremely hot and uncomfortable. So yeah, the last 30 laps weren't a lot of fun. Yeah. I'm watching this 88 car, Connor Zillig, you know, this young man's had a tough rookie season. This would be, can you believe it? It's first career top 10 finish in the cup series. If he can hold on today. What is your mentality in that car? Kept me the out of this thing. Like I was over it. So I started chugging water, which probably wasn't a great idea because it's ice cold water and my body is extremely hot and those things didn't mesh well together. And yeah, I went to the port-a-potty and threw up. It was kind of gross. Yeah. It was a hot last 30 laps, but really proud of my 88 team. It's been rough lately. So a day like this, although I feel like we could have been better than that, um, a day like this is, is wonderful too. Seventh place should be cause for celebration. After all, it is Connor's highest result on the cup circuit this year. But 20 years of winning has altered the Zillig family's expectations. Good to finish a race. Good to finish. He did a great job. Um, still a little frustrating. I think he should have done better, but you know, I don't know if it's him or a car, but it is good to finish one and be in the top 10 that's for sure. It was, uh, it was solid, um, solid day. You know, the competitor in me wanted more, but, um, from a third person bird's eye view, it was like, okay, at least we finished a race and nothing went crazy wrong and, um, you know, I can leave and not be banging my head against the wall on the airplane ride home. Yeah, I need it to be. When you're young and frustrated, time can feel like it's crawling, like it'll be an eternity before you learn whatever magic wisdom everyone keeps talking about, but the ugly truth is there's no wizards want no magic potion to make things go right. You've got to live in the frustration and accept whatever lessons you can glean from the situation you're in. It's not easy, but then again, you're not Connor's illage. You know, I've done a lot of things wrong and learned a lot throughout the year so far. So just need to put that all together. And I know that I'm capable of doing it. Are the expectations unfair? Yeah, I think it's a little unfair. I'd rather have the expectations than not, you know, the positive, the negative, that's what you sign up for. He knows he's got the talent. He's just got to be patient and, you know, wait for things to line up. I've made it to the point where I want to make it, but I'm not successful where I want to be and doing the things I want to do. So I'm going to walk before I run and try and get a win. And the longterm goal is to become a champion. You're going to have to wait.