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Who Was the Last NASCAR Prospect As Good As Connor Zilisch?

Connor Zilisch smiles after winning at Watkins Glen in Xfinity, NKP

Who is Connor Zilisch the best NASCAR prospect since?

Mike Neff: That is an interesting question. There have been quite a few good prospects recently. Daniel Hemric had a good bit of success coming up. Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 as a rookie. At this point, it is probably Chase Briscoe.

Wyatt Watson: Connor Zilisch is the best NASCAR prospect since Jeff Gordon. The quickness with which Zilisch has burst onto the stock car racing scene is truly special. With five wins in eight ARCA Menards Series starts, an impressive recovery drive in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas, a win in LMP2 at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, and a dominant win in his first race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen International to boot, the 18-year-old will continue to impress next year running full-time with JR Motorsports in 2025. At his blinding trajectory, Zilisch will be in the same breath as Gordon if he keeps this momentum up.

Amy Henderson: Zilisch is the best prospect since Kyle Busch. Busch was a winner in everything he drove, with wins in all three NASCAR national series before he turned 21. Zilisch, who just turned 18, could very well match a feat that most drivers never accomplish, let alone before they’re old enough to celebrate with champagne in victory lane. Of course, Zilisch still needs to prove himself against veterans on multiple types of tracks and across multiple series. Right now, he’s exactly what the title suggests: a prospect. But he’s on a path to be one of the most exciting youngsters to enter the sport in recent years.

James Krause: He’s the best prospect in NASCAR since Ty Gibbs. That may not be too far in the past, but I see a ton of parallels between the duo. Both drivers were winners in their first season in ARCA, both were winners in their first Xfinity Series race and they’re the two youngest winners on road courses in Xfinity history. While he hasn’t found the same immediate success in the NASCAR Cup Series yet, Gibbs found a way into the playoffs in just his second full-time season. If someone told Zilisch that he’ll be competing for the Cup title at 21, he’d probably be pretty happy with that.

Kevin Nix: Kyle Larson and Gordon. He’s the first prospect since Larson to win seemingly everywhere he goes and in everything he drives. The learning curve hasn’t yet hit Zilisch either, as he has shown very little weakness in his limited starts. While it will…

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