Denny Hamlin: Connor Zilisch is 'probably a sure-fire thing' in NASCAR Cup Series

Denny Hamlin is betting on racing phenom Connor Zilisch becoming a star in the NASCAR Cup Series, and in short-order.

Over the past year, Zilisch has become the hottest commodity in stock car racing, inking a deal to race for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2025. He showed his stuff during some limited appearances in 2024, including a dominating win at Watkins Glen in September.

During an episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin elaborated on why he believes Zilisch is on his way towards becoming a star in American motorsports, and why the sky is the limit for the young wheelman.

“I’d say it’s probably a sure-fire thing, just because he’s got enough experience on ovals,” Hamlin stated. “He still did quite a bit of oval racing as well, and certainly, if you look at the results in the competitive series that he’s run, he’s still, you know — he’s not as fast over the field when we go to ovals, but he’s still competitive, competing against veterans that have been doing it quite some time.

“So, will he go win 12 races next year in Xfinity? No, I don’t think so. But I mean, could he win four or five? Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s a very feasible goal considering, you know, the car he’s in and what he’s going to be capable of.”

Continuing, Hamlin even took it a step further, stating his belief that Zilisch has a leg up on fellow Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen as it pertains to their future in NASCAR, due to the youngster’s success racing on ovals.

“I think Connor’s got a leg up on (SVG), if you had to ask me to pick one of the two,” Hamlin added. “Connor, just because I think he’s more well-versed in the ovals than what SVG is. But I think when you look at what their capability is on road courses, I consider them equals right now. This is just my opinion right now. Maybe SVG a little bit — let’s just pretend this is, hey, this is an outlier. That is possible. Even SVG, while winning his very first cup race, still didn’t just win every other cup race he was in. So, I think, let’s see what the next time does.

“But right now, I would give Connor the leg up, just because of the oval experience he’s got on SVG.”

It remains to be seen how far Connor Zilisch can climb, but his star continues to burn bright. 2025 could be a breakout campaign for the young wheelman, as he looks to dominate the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and if that happens, the Cup Series won’t be far behind.