MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Chevrolet Junior drivers’ program protégé Connor Zilisch will compete for Pinnacle Racing Group in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l in the General Tire 100.
Zilisch, 17, will pilot the No. 28 Chevrolet SS under the leadership of crew chief and NASCAR veteran Shane Huffman in the final road course event for the premier ARCA Menards Series division this season.
Hailing from Mooresville, N.C., Zilisch joins Pinnacle Racing Group with a developed and successful track record, finding success in his young career in almost every series he has competed in.
This season, Zilisch has picked up the pace considerably and enters Watkins Glen competing full-time in the Trans Am’ Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series, winning three of the nine races thus far.
He’s also been actively building his late model credentials and boasts a win in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model tour at Ace (N.C.) Speedway in May for Rackley W.A.R. Racing.
“I’m really excited to get to Watkins Glen for my ARCA debut with Pinnacle Racing Group,” said Zilisch. “I’ve known about this opportunity for a while now, which has given me a lot of time to prepare myself as a driver for this race.
“As a driver, I’ve never felt this prepared for any other race in my career, which gives me a newfound sense of confidence going into the weekend.”
Zilisch carries confidence to Watkins Glen’s eight-turn, 2.45-mile road course based on his experience last year in both TransAm and Mazda MX-5 events. The teenager hopes his knowledge of the Finger Lakes track will help deliver a memorable debut.
“I’ve had some good experiences at Watkins Glen and have always enjoyed my time at the track,” Zilisch added. “High commitment, high speed, I feel that it suits my driving style well, so I’m excited to see how I do. The ARCA car is a new experience for me, being the heaviest car, I have ever driven, but as a road course racer, I feel like I have the upper hand over many of the full-time ARCA guys.
“I’m just excited to work with the team and ready to give them my all!
Pinnacle Racing Group is hunting for its second win in the ARCA Menards Series national division after mainstay driver Luke Fenhaus delivered a win last month at Iowa Speedway.
The team picked up their first ARCA platform win earlier this season at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, with Fenhaus at the helm.
“We are excited to welcome Connor Zilisch to the Pinnacle Racing Group family officially,” said Huffman. “Connor is thriving this season in every racing division he is competing in, and we expect him to be a contender at Watkins Glen on Friday afternoon.
“The ARCA Menards Series will be a new challenge for him, but his prior Watkins Glen experience should pay dividends and combat his learning curve in the heavier race car. Our goal on Friday is to improve from practice to qualify and then let the race play out and hope when the checkered flag nears, we’re in contention to bring home another trophy for our Pinnacle Racing Group team.”