Kevin Harvick sets expectations for Connor Zilisch in NASCAR Cup Series debut at COTA

Kevin Harvick will be one of the many watching with a keen interest in 18-year old Connor Zilisch, as the young phenom makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at COTA for Trackhouse Racing.

Zilisch won multiple races in the ARCA Menards Series last year, and he also made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen in 2024, where he won the race, making him the first driver in over three years to win their Xfinity Series debut.

During the latest edition of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion stated his belief that Zilisch will be fast, and he could even qualify on the pole, but he’s hesitant to predict a victory for the wunderkind, as there’s so much that goes into racing at the top level in NASCAR.

“The hard part about Cup racing is there’s so many other elements that are so close,” Harvick explained, regarding Zilisch’s start this weekend at COTA. “When you talk about pit stops and pit road and details. When you get behind in a Cup style race, it’s just harder to make up track position, like we saw him doing the trucks and, you know, the Xfinity cars. He just went out and just absolutely smoked them. But when you get to, I guess it’d probably be the fourth pit crew in line, you know, Trackhouse, and you start having those little details, gets you a little bit off.

“He’s going to be fast, and he could qualify on the pole. You know, he could be right up in the mix. But you’ve got to do all those other things really well, and he’s never done that in a Cup car. But I expect him to be super fast.”

Even though Harvick won’t predict a win, multiple oddsmakers aren’t missing the opportunity to make some money off Zilisch. He’s one of the favorites to win the race, and Steven Taranto of CBS Sports listed the young wheelman’s odds to win COTA from multiple sportsbooks. His current odds include +500 (BetMGM), +550 (DraftKings), +620 (Fanatics), +650 (Caesars) and +750 (FanDuel).

All told, it’ll be exciting to see Connor Zilisch make his NASCAR Cup Series debut, and if he’s able to make history with a victory in Austin, he’ll be marked for greatness in the future. Regardless, he seems well on his way, and Kevin Harvick certainly respects his abilities.

— On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.