Connor Zilisch is the next mainstream breakout star in NASCAR according to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Although it turned out to be a little more challenging than imagined Connor Zilisch never expected to saunter into the Cup Series and start earning top five results right away. But have those who praised him as the sport's next big thing lost faith in him? By no means.

Zilisch finished 14th at the Circuit of the America which was his best result of 2026. Last Sunday he finished 18th at Darlington. Considering that he is a rookie the outcome was admirable. Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted that he would make waves both on and off the track and it rekindled the excitement.

Over the past few years NASCAR has seen its fair share of racing legends come and go. However none of them have been able to capture the interest of new audiences worldwide. Dale Jr. thinks Zilisch is capable of doing that.

"I think he's got the driving part covered," Dale Jr. stated on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton. That will be successful, isn't it? What excites me is what he could accomplish for us off the track.

"There are many wonderful people in the garage. However, it's been a long time since someone broke through the mainstream and, if you will, left our bubble. The NASCAR Hall of Famer expressed his belief that he might succeed.

Dale Jr. never implied that Zilischtoday was the only outstanding player in the Cup Series. However, attracting new audiences who are not familiar with stock-car racing requires a unique talent.

If Zilisch is capable of that, only time will tell. He is currently solely focused on enhancing his track performances.

In 2026, Zilisch hopes for a change in fortune.

Zilisch has not yet achieved his first top-10 finish after six races in his debut campaign. Everywhere he goes a problem keeps arising to take him off course. Speaking with Bob Pockrass prior to the race in Las Vegas where he finished 32nd he vented his dissatisfaction.

He remarked "I've definitely had a rough stretch of weeks with incidents and things out of my control." "As a race car driver I find it difficult to declare that four weeks in a row is poor luck. It's simply been one of those years where you keep getting knocked down despite your best efforts to get back up.

Even though the outcome at Darlington falls short of his actual potential it is still a good one to take home. With any luck he will reorganize with the No. 88 team and do better this coming weekend at Martinsville. Before attempting to attract to massive fan bases any driver must first succeed on the track.