F1 drivers test stock car skills alongside Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch

What happens when you take two Formula One drivers and put them in stock cars on a dirt track? That’s exactly what Red Bull did with help from Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, two of NASCAR‘s biggest rising stars.

Red Bull Motorsports has entered the NASCAR world once again. SVG brought the brand over from his Supercars days. Red Bull recently signed 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch as well. Both are under contract with Trackhouse Racing.

F1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson of the Red Bull Visa Cash App team tried their hand at stock cars. But even that had a twist. These drivers had to show their skills on a dirt track!

Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen acted as driver coaches. They showed them the ropes, how to find the line in each corner, and how to get the car sideways enough to turn. You know, turn right to turn left and all that stuff Doc Hudson said.

The Tsunoda and Lawson then ran qualifying laps and battled in a five-lap race. Check out the winner in the video below.

Red Bull has a lot going on in the world of motorsports. Two F1 organizations, competing in everything from rallycross to NASCAR to Trophy Trucks – there is a lot going on under the Red Bull umbrella.

For now, Zilisch and SVG only have the brand on their helmets. However, with videos and activations like this, I wouldn’t be shocked to see those partnerships expand.

A new Red Bull paint scheme in 2025 would be great for NASCAR. The sport is trying to bring in more partners at a time when that is becoming increasingly more difficult.

Can Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch bring new eyes?

When Shane van Gisbergen exploded onto the NASCAR scene at the 2023 Chicago Street Race, it opened eyes. It showed that this is indeed a new era of the sport. Street racing, international stars coming over and one-upping a world-class Cup Series field – it was new and exciting.

SVG has not gone on a huge winning spree in the Cup Series, even on the road courses. However, he rallied off three wins in the Xfinity Series and improved on ovals tremendously. Now he has an 18-year-old Trackhouse teammate in Connor Zilisch who is really doing great things.

This season Zilisch had wins in IMSA, NASCAR, ARCA, CARS Tour, and the Mazda MX-5 Cup. I may even be missing a series in there. The kid is fantastic in any car he drives and did most of that as a 17-year-old, by the way. To put it simply, he is the closest thing to an 18-year-old LeBron James that NASCAR has or has had in quite a while.

Between Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, and a number of new drivers in NASCAR are only going to help the sport. Stock car racing is dying for new, bold stars to attract younger fans and even bring older ones back to the sport. Hopefully, we see those stars bloom in the coming years.