Watkins Glen is the track where Connor Zilisch, as a 16-year-old in 2023, dominated his ARCA Menards Series debut, before Jesse Love bumped him off the final corner in a last-lap, last-turn move to steal the win. Still, Zilisch’s performance turned more heads, as he ran most of the race with a broken front sway bar. A year later, in 2024, Watkins Glen gave him everything: the pole, the lead, the win, in his very first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start, making him the first driver in over three years to win in their series debut. And then, in 2025, it gave him the win again, only to one-up Zilisch again.
“I’ve learned my lesson there. If I do that again, we’ve got big issues,” Zilisch told Bob Pockrass, revealing his preparations for the weekend. This has always been a special track for the youngster. Although it’s far from being his home race, but it’s the result that he manages to pull off.
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After claiming his sixth Xfinity win of the season at The Glen last August, Zilisch stood atop his car in Victory Lane. His foot caught the window netting, and he fell headfirst onto the ground, helmet-less. The result was a broken collarbone, surgery to install a plate and screws, and a forced withdrawal from the Cup Series race the following day, where SVG would go on to dominate.
SVG, ever the Trackhouse teammate, couldn’t resist the joke afterward: commenting that it could’ve been “four Trackhouse cars in the top 10 if Connor didn’t do gymnastics.” Now, Zilisch is back at Watkins Glen, healthy, wiser, and with three cars to drive across three days.
Heading into the weekend, Zilisch is running full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing in the No. 88 Chevrolet, a ride he earned after a historic 2025 O’Reilly Series campaign that included ten wins, a record-breaking 18 consecutive top-five finishes, and a runner-up championship finish.
He is also making part-time O’Reilly Series starts for JR Motorsports in the No. 1 car, and has been confirmed to run the Truck Series race for Spire Motorsports in the No. 71 Chevrolet, which will be his first Truck start of the 2026 season.
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“I mean, obviously, that place has always treated me well, other than that, so I’m excited to try and get a win there in the Cup Series and try and get a truck win as well. And obviously try and go for the three-peat with JRM,” he said, speaking on his expectations this year.
That would be a landmark achievement, considering that it would be his third consecutive victory at The Glen in the NOAPS. He comes in with momentum on that front, having already won at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season for JRM, his 12th career series win.
On the Cup side, though, the picture is less rosy. Driving the No. 88 for Trackhouse, Zilisch is yet to crack a top 10 in 11 starts this season, sitting 33rd in points with 124. The case is somewhat similar in the Truck Series as well. While he has been competitive, he hasn’t won a race.
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However, it isn’t a major concern, considering he has never run the series on a full-time basis. But heading to a Truck Race for the first time this year, Zilisch will be accompanied by his teammate, too.
Zilisch hopes to learn from his teammate at Watkins Glen
Despite the lack of success that Zilisch has had in the Truck Series, the upcoming race could be different.
“Shane and I are both doing all three, so looking forward to getting to race against him in all three series there, and excited to try and learn from him and hopefully have a good day on Sunday,” he said.
SVG will also be tackling all three NASCAR series in a single weekend. For the O’Reilly Series, SVG will drive the No. 9 JR Motorsports entry, the same car he already took to victory at COTA earlier this season. For the Truck race, he joins Niece Motorsports in the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado.
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And van Gisbergen’s road course authority in the Cup Series is well documented by now. In his rookie 2025 season, he joined Chase Elliott and Jeff Gordon as the only drivers in Cup history to win four straight. Heading into 2026, he stood on the verge of tying Gordon’s record of six consecutive road course wins, set between 1997 and 2000. He came within 3.9 seconds of it at COTA in March, finishing second to Tyler Reddick.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Shane Van Gisbergen 97 TrackHouse Racing SuperFile Chevrolet waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151738500
Gisbergen is also the defending Watkins Glen Cup winner, winning the 2025 race by over 11 seconds, the second-largest margin of victory in Watkins Glen history. That gives him a formidable blueprint coming in, and the pressure of going for what would be his first Cup win of the 2026 season.
The adaptability that SVG has shown across Supercars, IMSA, and NASCAR could be invaluable for Zilisch as he adjusts to the weight, feel, and braking demands of a Cup truck. Whether Zilisch can carry that learning into Sunday’s Cup race, where Trackhouse has struggled against the Toyota onslaught, remains the real open question of the weekend.
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What isn’t in question is whether he’ll be celebrating with gymnastics. That lesson, at least, has been thoroughly learned.
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