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Connor Zilisch wins ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan

JHby:Jonathan Howard•08/16/24•

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Connor Zilisch
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

What can’t this kid do? Connor Zilisch wins the Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway. This is Zilisch’s fourth ARCA Menards Series victory of the season in four starts. Coming soon to NASCAR…

Connor Zilisch turned 18 in July. He made his two-mile oval debut tonight at Michigan. Only 30 minutes of practice beforehand and Zilisch went out and took the checkered flag.

Andres Perez came close but couldn’t get a look at a pass. The full-time driver from Mexico is still searching for his first career win.

This was not the most dominant win. Connor Zilisch and his team had to be patient. There were two cautions for pit stops during this race that were scheduled. It wasn’t stage racing, but it more or less was.

On those pit stops, Zilisch’s crew made the right adjustments. In fact, they made the perfect adjustments. The 28 car took the lead on Lap 7 and almost kept it until the first caution. Tanner Gray battled back in the second half of that first stint on the track and took the lead from Zilisch.

Gray made a big mistake on the final restart of the race. He got taken four wide by the field as Zilisch got out front and took off with the lead. Gray would never recover. Andres Perez gave a late push but didn’t have enough time to make a move on the 28 car.

Connor Zilisch gets big approval from Kevin Harvick

If we go back through Connor Zilisch’s young career in racing, Kevin Harvick is at the center of it all. Seeing Zilisch in action in karts while racing with his son Keelan, The Closer let Zilisch’s family know they had a kid that had “it.”

Since then, Zilisch has been developing his craft. With a full-time season in the Xfinity Series next year, Harvick sees it as a challenge and opportunity for the teenage racer.

“As we saw in the Truck race this week, it’s gonna get harder,” Harvick said. “But Connor is a great talent. Now, it’s gonna be that next step of competition which always comes with, ‘Alright, I can drive fast, but now how do I communicate with my team in order to let them understand what they need in the car to direct the car to be as fast as it can.’ So, I think with Trackhouse having Connor Zilisch, I mean they just have struck gold. I think for them, they have a talent that is something you can’t teach. He’s got this natural ability to go out there and drive.”

Connor Zilisch is proving that talent is real each time he gets on the track. This season he has been racing in all kinds of different cars and series. Next year he gets to put all of his talent and focus into a single series. Could be interesting.