Connor Zilisch Interview

Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX

Fox Sports

Leisure, Sports, Automotive

4.8 • 523 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kevin Harvick sits down with rising NASCAR talent Connor Zilisch ahead of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season on this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, diving into how Zilisch is preparing for the biggest opportunity of his young career. Zilisch reflects on his unconventional path to NASCAR, admitting he never expected to be racing stock cars, and discusses how Harvick’s mentorship helped guide key decisions along the way. The conversation explores his goals with Trackhouse Racing, what it means to represent Red Bull at the Cup level, and how he plans to handle expectations entering a new season. From career-defining advice to long-term aspirations, the interview offers insight into one of the sport’s most promising young drivers as he prepares to take the next step in 2026. 0:00 - Intro 0:34 - Connor Zilisch Joins The Show! 1:59 - Early Journey In Racing 12:19 - Racing For Justin Marks 14:28 - Transitioning To A Full-Time Cup Series Driver 16:20 - Expectations For This Season 20:36 - Biggest Critics 22:27 - Using Data Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.6	When I really realized that I could make it to where I am today it was honestly when I met you you were able to point me in the right direction.
0:36.6	Hardest transition in racing going from O'Reilly series to the Cup Series.
0:41.3	It certainly is different than anything I've ever done.
0:43.3	I don't want cheerleaders.
0:45.3	That's never been me.
0:46.3	These people are jumping off cliffs and jumping out of planes.
0:49.3	And I always feel like the biggest loser because all I do is drive a big heavy stock car around. We go on to California's Kevin Harding Custer.
1:06.0	Well, we're freezing cold in North Carolina, but to come back to trackhouse motorplex, you used to be GoPro motorplex, but to come back to track house motorplex, used to be GoPro
1:12.3	motorplex, but to come back here, to me, it doesn't seem like that long ago.
1:18.7	I don't know how you feel about how recent the go-kart days have been, but man, you
1:24.5	have made just this crazy rise through the ranks and it has to be a
1:29.5	little bit surreal for you yeah it definitely is and you're not wrong it doesn't feel like long
1:33.7	ago for me either I certainly you know every day I wake up and I question how it all happened
1:39.3	so quickly and and you know just all the people I met starting with you early on when when I was helping
1:45.8	Keelan and we were teammates and you know a lot has changed since then but you know certainly a lot of
1:52.6	things have definitely happened in my favor to get me to where I am today and I do miss the days
1:57.9	at the go-cart track where you know we'd come out on the weekdays and travel on the weekends and go everywhere together and, you know, always end up at the track at the same time.
2:06.7	But, yeah, it's pretty surreal to see what all has changed in the last four or five years.
	...

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