Red Bull, the globally recognized brand of energy drinks, has tapped up-and-coming NASCAR superstar Connor Zilisch to join its wide-ranging and star-studded athlete roster.
Zilisch is the 18-year-old development driver for race-winning NASCAR Cup Series organization Trackhouse Racing, co-owned by Justin Marks and Grammy-winning recording artist Pitbull. Shane van Gisbergen, another member of the Red Bull family of athletes, is also employed by the organization, moving to the United States from New Zealand to pursue a full-time career in NASCAR.
So stoked to be joining the @redbull family as a Red Bull athlete! This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I couldn’t be more pumped. Let’s go!!! pic.twitter.com/l8z9tXlPAf
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) September 13, 2024
The announcement, made by Zilisch on his social media channels, comes less than 24 hours before the Mooresville, North Carolina native is scheduled to debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 Carolina Carports Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
In August, more than a month before his scheduled series debut, JR Motorsports announced that Zilisch would retain the entry to run full-time in 2025, as part of a collaboration with Trackhouse Racing.
Since joining the Trackhouse Racing stable earlier this season, Zilisch has triumphed in several different divisions, including the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he won a pair of iconic events in the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Zilisch has also found instant success in the ARCA Menards Series, Mazda MX-5 Series, CARS Late Model Tour, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, drawing the eyes of several prominent figures in the NASCAR and ARCA garages.
Notable athletes part of the Red Bull family include Scott Speed, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Mattias Ekström, Broc Feeny, and Shane Van Gisbergen, among several others.
The signing of Zilisch brings the iconic brand back into NASCAR for the first time since its NASCAR Cup Series team, Red Bull Racing, closed its doors at the end of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign. That organization ran for five years, collecting a pair of victories, 20 top-five, and 56 top-10 finishes, with drivers including AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, and Kasey Kahne, among select other part-timers.
At this time, it’s unclear if this will mean Red Bull returns to NASCAR as a primary sponsor, or if this is just a personal service agreement.
