Connor Zilisch's championship heartbreak extends off track with loss of FIA Hypercar test

After one of the most consistent and successful seasons in his career, Connor Zilisch ended up losing the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series title. However, his woes have seemed to surge after failing the FIA World Endurance Championship's Bahrain Rookie Test.

The former JR Motorsports driver lost the Xfinity Championship to Jesse Love at the season's finale in Phoenix last Saturday. His dominant rookie season with 10 wins and 18 consecutive top-5 finishes turned worse off the track on Tuesday, November 4. Zilisch was removed from Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA's entry for the Bahrain test on November 9.

According to reports, via dailysportstar.com, the 19-year-old did not have the required ACCUS licence points to test the Hypercar, so the team scratched him from the event.

In the finale race, Richard Childress Racing's Jesse passed the No. 88 Chevy driver late in the race and took the title. Zilisch crossed the line third and ended the Xifnity season, where he dominated much of the schedule and collected the most wins among rookies.

Zilisch will move to the Cup Series next season with Trackhouse Racing, replacing Daniel Suarez in the No. 99 Chevy. He is also expected to appear on a provisional entry list for the IMSA Daytona-sanctioned test, which could lead to a GTP chance at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Zilisch won the 24 Hours of Daytona in the LMP2 class and the 12 Hours of Sebring last year at the age of 17, which was the youngest for any winner.

"It's dramatic and it's risky" - Trackhouse Racing owner on Connor Zilisch racing at Indy 500

Connor Zilisch will probably not attempt a double on Memorial Day weekend and race in the Indianapolis 500 just yet. Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks shared that Connor Zilisch's rookie NASCAR Cup season might not be the best time for him to debut in the IndyCar Series.

Marks said:

"Watching Larson go through that, it's dramatic and it's risky and it can be a little uncomfortable with the timing and all that kind of stuff, so if we decide to do something like that, Connor would certainly be at the top of our list. But to do that we have to do it the right way, and I certainly don't want to do it his rookie year."

Connor Zilisch made three NASACR Cup starts with Trackhouse this season. He debuted at Circuit of the Americas and scored his best finish of 11th place at Atlanta in June.