NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MAY 23, 2026 |
Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1, No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SS and No. 77 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST, met with the media at his home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway where he’s running triple duty across all three NASCAR national series. | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
NASCAR CUP SERIESCHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESMAY 23, 2026 |
Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1, No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SS and No. 77 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST, met with the media at his home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway where he’s running triple duty across all three NASCAR national series. | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
Media Availability Quotes: There’s a chance that we may be running all three races in one day, and I was just wondering if you’re ready for that challenge?“Yeah, I mean, I don’t really know what to expect. You know, hopefully we can get some racing in today. Obviously, it doesn’t look great, but it’s starting to clear up a little bit, so there’s some hope. All three in one day would definitely be a lot, but it’s our job and it’s what I signed up for, even though I didn’t expect it to all be like that. I’m ready for whatever comes my way.” What was your favorite Kyle Busch memory?“I have two. I have a funny one and a good one. He texted me after I lost the championship last year and just told me how proud he was of me and just how far I’d come. That meant a lot. You know, he didn’t have to reach out and do that. He wrote a few paragraphs and just kind of gave me some confidence after what was a really tough day for me, so that one meant a lot. And then we were at the Daytona 500 this year and we do a driver meeting before the race. I was in the driver’s meeting. It was my first one as a Cup driver. I asked if we were the last OEM group to pit, what should the plan be… are we going to try and like block the track and try and keep track position after the pit cycle? I asked that question. It was the end of the meeting and everybody kind of went silent. Nobody was answering me. And Kyle speaks up and he goes, ‘no, just get the (expletive) out of the way’. It’s my first time in one of these meetings. I’m a rookie and I’m just like, ‘oh okay… yeah, sorry.’ I was so embarrassed (laughs). But, yeah, that was just who Kyle was. He was unapologetically himself. Some people didn’t like him. Some people liked him. But everybody respected him. That’s the Kyle that we’ll remember.” How would you describe Kyle’s driving style?“I obviously grew up watching him and he was just a fierce competitor that didn’t hold back. He was always clean. He did things the right way until he felt like he had to do something in retaliation maybe, get somebody back or racing against somebody that had raced him the wrong way previously. But I feel like he just always did the right thing. You know, he taught me a lot from the few times that we got to race against each other. He never put himself in the wrong spot. I felt like he was a wizard at this stuff. Growing up watching him, you wanted to be like him, even if you didn’t like him. You know, some days I didn’t like watching him because he was so good that I didn’t like watching him and that was just the way it was. So, yeah, it’s definitely crazy how fast things can change.” What’s your perception of what NASCAR legends mean to your generation compared to my generation, the older fans? Do you think your generation will connect to him differently than older generations connected to him?“Yeah, you know, it’s hard to compare the two. I was never alive for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and never got to experience it firsthand. But I know that he was kind of like the guy back in the day, right? And Kyle Busch, when I was growing up, he was the villain, but he’s what made people watch the race. People loved to watch Kyle Busch either because they loved him or because they hated him and they loved hating him. You know, it wasn’t really much in between there. I feel like when he walked out of the driver intro stage, and although his perception has maybe changed in the last five years, I feel like 5-10 years ago, everybody would be cheering. Some would be booing, but everybody was making noise. And I feel like that’s kind of just the way people viewed Kyle and who he was. I think that’s what this sport needs. You heard Steve O’Donnell say yesterday that you have to connect with the fans and he connected with the fans” How does this track challenge you? You’ve got limited time just on the oval portion, and if you don’t get practice and qualifying, what does that do in terms of the Cup car? How’s this track challenging with the Cup car?“Actually, this is one of the tracks that I’ve been to in a Cup car. You know, we weren’t great here last year. We struggled a lot with getting the car to a good spot, but I at least had laps. So that gives me a little bit of confidence for Sunday. But, you know, I think at the end of the day, we’re race car drivers. We’re paid to figure it out. We’re paid to go fast. That’s our job. I feel like no matter what the circumstances are, I have to be ready for it. I have to go out and do my best job that I can and be my best self. Obviously, I would enjoy practice, but I don’t know if we’re going to get that privilege today.” Is it easier, or is that not the right word since you’ve got the experience of the track time here compared to other places?“Yeah, I would say it’s definitely easier coming here than a place that I’ve never been to in the Cup car.” Going back to the 1,101 miles, as someone who’s done endurance races before, what is that preparation process and how does it differ between one specific car for like the Rolex 24 and then three wildly different vehicles over whenever these races are going to take place?“Yeah, it just takes a little bit longer to get myself prepared for it. I have to do more work and preparation for an event like this. It’s definitely a tougher challenge than going out and learning one car and then just driving that car forever and ever and ever. But I enjoy it. It makes me better. It challenges me. I need challenge in my life. I enjoy being challenged. I enjoy struggling. That’s what running all three series gives me.” How does someone of your generation or a driver in their 20s handle losing not only a competitor but also losing a competitor of Kyle Busch’s magnitude?“Yeah, it’s tough. You know, I feel like this is a very tight-knit sport. It’s a small community, but it’s a tight community. When you lose somebody, it’s felt throughout the entire garage, especially when it’s somebody with the magnitude like Kyle Busch. I remember Thursday really well. I was at an autograph session, and at that point, I had started hearing buzz about the possibility of Kyle passing away. I didn’t want to believe it. I was in the middle of an autograph session when I found out. NASCAR posted it and that was really tough for me to get through the rest of that autograph session. And then, yeah, I finished and somebody walked up and without even asking, just prayed with me. I got in my car and broke down and cried the whole way home. So, yeah, no matter who it is, our industry is really tight and losing somebody, it’s hard to deal with and hard to accept, especially at his age with two kids so young. Samantha, Brexton, and Lennix, it’s so hard to believe that they’re going to grow up without a dad. We’re going to all rally around the three of them and make sure that they’re taken care of.” You have a lot of responsibilities this weekend running all three races. I was just curious with your schedule kind of being shuffled around, kind of touch and go with the weather here, how does that affect your ability to prepare yourself? Does it make it harder to kind of lock in mentally for each respective race?“Not too bad, no. Thankfully, I have a motorhome here, and I can just go crash and lay down in the motorhome; not really have to worry about making sure that I’m here on time and have the convenience of that. So, yeah, I pretty much just sit and wait for Bob (Pockrass) to tweet or Jeff (Gluck) to tweet, and when that happens, I know I’m good to go.” Along those lines, Michael McDowell was in here a few minutes ago and talked about how difficult it is just to be here. With your responsibilities, how hard is it to be here this weekend?“Yeah, it’s really tough. You know, it’s so difficult to want to be motivated to go do your job when you lost one of your closest competitors. I woke up yesterday morning and I was like — man, I don’t really want to go to the track. And at the same time, though, this place is home to me, and I feel like it’s easier to accept it here than it is laying in my bed and just scrolling on social media and just continuing to see posts about it. I feel like it just makes me more and more sad. You know, I still struggle to accept it. But, yeah, it’s tough going up and getting in the race car. It just doesn’t feel like a real race weekend. The entire vibe through the garage, it’s eerie here. It’s gloomy. It’s going to be tough come Sunday, for sure. There’s going to be a lot of emotion and it’s going to be sad.” Michael also said that when he gets in the car and puts the helmet on, he’s locked in and it’s going to be a little bit easier to get through the weekend. Do you feel like that’s going to be the case for you?“Yeah, I do. You know, I don’t have to see emotion when I’m in the car. I feel like I’m just in there by myself and with my own thoughts. It’s definitely going to be tough leading up to that. We’re going to do a lot to try and honor Kyle; do our best to remember him and make it so that everybody remembers Kyle for who he was. Once we get in the race car and it’s time to go racing, obviously that switch flips. But until then, the next 24-48 hours are going to be tough.” |