Two years after his last CARS Tour start, NASCAR Cup Series driver Connor Zilisch returns to Late Model Stock racing at Florence Motor Speedway with JR Motorsports.
The last time Connor Zilisch raced in the CARS Tour, he was still trying to prove he belonged on an oval.
When he returns Friday night at Florence Motor Speedway, he’ll do it as a NASCAR Cup Series driver.
Zilisch will make his first CARS Tour start since 2024 in the No. 8 Red Bull-backed Late Model Stock for JR Motorsports. It will be his first CARS Tour appearance with JRM, adding another layer to a return that looks much different than his first trips through the series.
Before Zilisch became one of NASCAR’s rising stars, Late Model Stock racing was part of his education.
Coming from a road-racing background, Zilisch used the CARS Tour to develop the oval racecraft that would eventually become an important part of his NASCAR career. Across 14 previous starts in 2023 and 2024, he learned how to manage tires, navigate some of the country’s toughest short tracks and compete against drivers who specialize in this style of racing.
That work paid off at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2024.
Zilisch qualified 11th, worked his way through the field and earned his first CARS Tour Late Model Stock victory. At the time, he admitted the win carried extra meaning because people had questioned whether he could race on an oval.
“I know I won the Rolex, Sebring, but a win here in a Late Model Stock at Hickory is a dream come true,” Zilisch said after the race.
A lot has changed since then.
Zilisch is now racing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series, but his expectations for Florence reflect someone who remembers exactly how difficult the CARS Tour can be.
“I wouldn’t say it’s going to be an easy slam dunk win,” Zilisch said ahead of his return. “The CARS Tour is difficult and I know that firsthand.”
He’ll have a familiar organization behind him in JR Motorsports, but Friday night is also an opportunity to reconnect with a type of racing that helped prepare him for everything that came next.
Two years ago, the CARS Tour was part of preparing Zilisch for where he wanted to go.
Now, he returns as a driver who made it there.