Teenage phenom Connor Zilisch to make Daytona 500 debut in No. 88
Connor Zilisch, a 19-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina, will make his first Daytona 500 start Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2: 13 p. m. ET as he launches his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Zilisch will roll off from the 32nd position after a 15th-place finish in Thursday night’s duel race.
Rising star steps into full-time Cup role
Zilisch moves into the Cup Series on a full-time basis this year behind the wheel of the No. 88 car for Trackhouse Racing, after three Cup appearances in 2025 with the same organization. The teenager arrives off a dominant run in the second-tier series last season, where he totaled 10 wins — more than double any other driver’s victory total — and established himself as one of open-wheel racing’s most talked-about prospects.
His 2025 résumé also includes a win at Daytona, though that victory came with a twist: Zilisch started the race while recovering from a broken collarbone and handed the wheel to relief driver Parker Kligerman midway through, with Kligerman taking the checkered flag. That experience on the 2. 5-mile superspeedway gives Zilisch some familiarity with the unique demands of Daytona, even if he has not previously competed at the track in the Cup Series.
Daytona debut and race-day expectations
Starting 32nd in the Daytona 500 places Zilisch mid-pack for the season’s biggest race, a high-stakes, chaotic affair where drafting, timing and patience often outweigh raw speed. The green flag for the 500 is scheduled to drop at 2: 13 p. m. ET on Sunday after the start time was moved up an hour to avoid evening weather concerns.
Zilisch described his mindset entering the weekend as focused on seizing the moment and enjoying the experience. He said his priorities are to maximize what he can on the track while keeping perspective and having fun no matter the outcome. For a driver still navigating the transition to full-time Cup competition, that approach reflects both ambition and a measured view of a learning curve that will unfold across a long season.
Youngest contender with history on the line
At 19, Zilisch will be the youngest driver in Sunday’s field by several years; the next youngest competitors are 23-year-olds Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs. The veteran of the event, Casey Mears, earned his spot in the race through Thursday’s duels and will compete at age 47.
Should Zilisch pull off a victory, he would become the youngest Daytona 500 winner in history. The current mark belongs to Trevor Bayne, who won the race the day after his 20th birthday in 2011. While a win would be headline-making, for Zilisch and his team a successful debut can also be measured by gaining experience, avoiding the big wrecks that often define superspeedway races, and scoring solid stage points to build momentum for the rest of his rookie campaign.
As the Cup season’s premier spectacle unfolds at Daytona International Speedway, all eyes will be on whether the teenage newcomer can translate his lower-series dominance into a breakthrough performance on motorsport’s biggest early-season stage.
