Teen sensation tipped to end Shane van Gisbergen’s domination on NASCAR road courses
Shane van Gisbergen has been unstoppable on road courses this year, but one driver could challenge his domination next year.
Rising star Connor Zilisch has been tipped to end Shane van Gisbergen’s domination on road courses when he steps up to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time next year.
Zilisch, widely hailed as a generational talent, currently leads the Xfinity Series standings as a rookie after taking six victories in the first 23 races.
The 19-year-old has already made his Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing alongside van Gisbergen and is believed to be first in line to replace Daniel Suarez next season.
Zilisch and van Gisbergen have also gone head-to-head in the Xfinity Series this year, with the latter contesting a part-time campaign in the second-tier championship alongside his primary Cup programme.
At last weekend’s Watkins Glen round, Zilisch emerged on top in their duel, albeit after nudging van Gisbergen into the wall while fighting for the lead with 18 laps remaining.
Van Gisbergen then bounced back from the disappointed to win the Cup race on Sunday, registering his fourth win of the year.
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin believes both drivers will hold a significant advantage over the rest of the Cup field on road courses, but expects Zilisch to have the upper hand in a straight fight.
“I think [van Gisbergen] wins road courses for the foreseeable future. But I mean in straight up equipment, Connor's beating him in Xfinity. So you would say that what could be coming is essentially a kind of a one-two battle there," Hamlin said on his podcast.
"It's likely that these two will be head and shoulders still above the field and likely the only battle you'll have is between those two to figure out who's going to win the road course race that day unless something wacky happens.”
Zilisch broke his collarbone while celebrating his Xfinity success at Watkins Glen in Victory Lane, forcing him to miss Sunday’s Cup Series race.
The Charlotte native is still unsure when he will return, with the next Xfinity race scheduled for 22 August at Daytona International Speedway.
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Rachit joined the Crash.net team in 2025 with a primary focus on F1 and sportscar racing.
He previously served as a news editor at Motorsport.com, where he played a key role in the day-to-day editorial operations.
