Connor Zilisch shared a heartfelt tribute to Kyle Busch on August 18, NASCAR’s first Kyle Busch Day. The Trackhouse Racing driver looked back at his memories with Busch and remembered the support the two-time Cup champion gave him after the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity (O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series championship loss.
NASCAR chose August 18 for Kyle Busch Day to honor the No. 8 and No. 18 numbers Busch made famous. And Trackhouse Racing shared a video on social media where Zilisch reflected on their relationship. The 20-year-old shared that Busch reached out after he lost the championship to Jesse Love last year.
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“He was one of the drivers that reached out to me and just kind of voiced his appreciation and support of the season that I had and just told me to not let this change me and he told me how proud he was of how far I’d come that season,” Zilisch said.
“Having someone like Kyle Busch reach out to me and show that you know they’ve noticed the progression and I have that their support and their entire family too was really cool.”
Zilisch also revealed that he first met Busch at the 2020 Rolex 24. Busch made his first and only 24 Hours of Daytona debut that year, driving the No. 14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 with Jack Hawksworth, Parker Chase and Michael De Quesada, and Zilisch remembered being struck by his personality.
“He was in the teammate car but yeah it was a very interesting personality compared to what I was from in racing and but yeah got along with him really good and we were actually on track together a few times and had some pretty cool battles,” Zilisch added.
Busch died unexpectedly on May 21, 2026 after a severe bacterial pneumonia progressed into sepsis. He was 41 years old.
“It’s been a disappointing season; I want to win races for Trackhouse” – Connor Zilisch after announcing team switch for 2028 NASCAR Cup season
Connor Zilisch’s rookie Cup season has been difficult, with one top-10 finish and a 34th in the points standings after 24 races.
“It’s been a disappointing season for us. We’re used to winning a lot more races, and we got a new car, and we’re working hard. They’re digging in and I think we are working harder than we have ever worked,” Connor Zilisch said (via Motorsport.com).
“I’m going to keep learning as much as I can and become the driver I know I am capable of becoming. … There is a lot to learn and I am excited for this process. I also have a lot of time between now and 2028 and I want to win races for Trackhouse and be successful with the team I’m part of now.”
Zilisch, who joined Trackhouse Racing full-time in the Cup Series in 2026 after a 10-win 2025 O’Reilly Series season, will move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2028. Trackhouse’s contract with Zilisch runs through the end of 2027.
Edited by Palak Gupta
