DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Not even at some point into the Roar Earlier than the 24 testing periods final weekend at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, younger NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch realized what he was coping with in teaming with a pair of New Zealand champion drivers and a veteran sports activities automobile ace.
Whereas Zilisch was turning his first laps, his teammates — NASCAR star Shane van Gisbergen, IndyCar standout Scott McLaughlin and American sports activities automobile ace Ben Keating — had been having some enjoyable with the 18-year outdated Zilisch‘s mobile phone, left innocently contained in the scoring stand whereas he was within the automobile on monitor.
The end result was a sequence of humorous, candid selfies printed on Zilisch‘s personal social media accounts.
It‘s straightforward to have enjoyable, when you recognize you might be quick. And they’re.
“They positively mess with me, however I get pleasure from it and we now have enjoyable with one another,” Zilisch mentioned, breaking into a smile. “It‘s been so cool to get to know Shane and Scott and Ben — he‘s bought a variety of experience and expertise and humorousness, too.
“It‘s a fantastic group of fellows and we‘re already having a variety of enjoyable collectively and hopefully that interprets to on-track success.”
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That‘s actually the plan. This Daytona dream staff is made up of former Australian Supercars champions McLaughlin and 2025 NASCAR Cup Collection rookie Shane van Gisbergen — who surprised the stock-car world successful in his first NASCAR begin in 2023 on the Chicago Avenue Race. Becoming a member of them are the 53-year-old Keating and NASCAR Xfinity Collection rookie-to-be Zilisch, who each have already gained Rolex watches on this prestigious IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship sequence opener.
They are going to all share the GTD Professional class No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R — a automobile fielded partially by NASCAR Trackhouse Racing staff proprietor Justin Marks, himself a former Rolex 24 competitor.
As they’ve all found, enjoyable is a necessary a part of the chemistry that makes this foursome a favourite to earn new Rolex watches by Sunday afternoon‘s checkered flag.
This would be the 35-year-old van Gisbergen‘s sixth entry within the Rolex 24 and he‘s been on the rostrum earlier than with a runner-up end within the GTD class in 2015. The final time he competed was in 2020, teaming with two-time NASCAR Cup Collection champion Kyle Busch on the AIM Vasser Sullivan staff.
“That is my favourite endurance race of all those I‘ve completed. Spa, LeMans, Bathurst, that is the perfect by far,” mentioned van Gisbergen, who will make his full-time driving debut within the Cup Collection within the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet this season.
“That is simply pleasurable. It‘s a lot enjoyable. Like [endurance races] Spa [Belgium] and Le Mans [France] you‘re simply flat-out the entire time and the security automobile comes and everybody stays unfold out. Whereas, right here, you get your laps again and everybody‘s all the time battling.
“It actually feels like a 24-hour race and also you‘re all the time battling somebody. I really feel the environment right here is all the time good. All the opposite stuff [other endurance races] I‘ve completed is much too severe. Right here it‘s all the time simply enjoyable to be at. First race of the yr and everybody‘s recent.”
Apparently, regardless of their shared background and crossed paths through the years, this would be the first time van Gisbergen and McLaughlin — a seven-time IndyCar Collection successful driver for Roger Penske — have shared the identical automobile in a race.
And so they have totally embraced the driving partnerships with the younger Zilisch and the veteran Keating. Zilisch signed a Trackhouse Racing contract final January to compete within the Rolex and can drive JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet as a rookie within the NASCAR Xfinity Collection.
Zilisch brings an unimaginable resume with him, and in some methods shares a storybook inventory automobile starting with van Gisbergen. Because the New Zealander did within the Chicago Cup Collection race a yr earlier, Zilisch gained his first NASCAR Xfinity Collection begin — claiming the trophy final summer season at Watkins Glen Worldwide from pole place — then including a pair of fourth-place finishes at Kansas and Phoenix in three extra begins final yr.
Zilisch gained pole place in his first NASCAR nationwide sequence begin — a Craftsman Truck Collection race final spring on the Circuit of The Americas, the place he completed fourth. He then gained pole place once more within the sequence at probably the most well-known inventory automobile tracks on the planet, the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway — all earlier than he turned 18.
And that inventory automobile success got here after Zilisch gained the LMP2 class of the Rolex 24 final January at Daytona and answered instantly with the LMP2 class win within the 12 Hours of Sebring six weeks later.
“I‘ve been with Connor just about each day the final couple weeks doing picture shoots,‘‘ van Gisbergen mentioned, providing excessive reward for the younger driver.
“He‘s an superior younger child and the expertise he‘s had already and what he‘s completed is wonderful. He‘s committing now to NASCAR away from this [sports car] world and it will likely be actually enjoyable to see how he goes. He‘s bought an enormous future forward.
“He‘s simply an superior younger child and so quick, however so much to study nonetheless at that age,‘‘ van Gisbergen continued. “He‘s asking Scott and I and Ben a variety of questions, and we‘re having a variety of enjoyable, bouncing concepts off one another in regards to the automobile.‘‘
That help means a lot extra coming from somebody Zilisch admires.
“It‘s actually cool,‘‘ he allowed, flashing a smile. “The final 12 months for me have been actually loopy and positively modified the trajectory of my profession path, so it‘s cool to staff up with them right here, guys who’ve a lot expertise not solely in sports activities automobile racing however motorsports as an entire, whether or not it‘s V8 Supercars, IndyCars, and Ben, with all the pieces he‘s completed in sports activities automobiles.
“I’ve so much to study from these guys. Undoubtedly going to attempt to soak it in as a lot as I can. Be a sponge. Simply attempt to have enjoyable.
“Clearly these large moments might be hectic, however on the finish of the day, what we‘re doing and what Justin has put collectively, I simply wish to make certain I get pleasure from it as effectively.‘‘
Each McLaughlin and the sports activities automobile champ Keating say they’ve additionally loved working as a staff with the 2 NASCAR opponents.
“Actually thrilling for me,‘‘ mentioned Keating, 53, noting that his youngsters are all older than Zilisch. “I‘ve by no means been in the identical automobile with any of these guys. I‘ve raced in opposition to all of them and have a ton of respect. I actually like all of them. Similar with Justin [Marks].”
His expertise — together with a 2015 Rolex 24 class win — has included a driver‘s seat view of watching his co-drivers compete prior to now, nevertheless. And that‘s offered each perspective and reward. He recalled watching van Gisbergen driving within the pouring rain within the 2017 Rolex 24.
“I used to be driving across the monitor in amazement of Shane when he was driving the automobile due to all of the lessons and all of the automobiles, he was the quickest automobile on monitor — he was quicker than all of the prototypes. SVG is particular,‘‘ Keating mentioned, emphasizing that van Gisbergen‘s and McLaughlin‘s trio of Australian Supercar championships routinely elevates their stature in his thoughts.
“And I’ve grown to have a variety of respect for Connor within the LMP2 class final yr,‘‘ Keating continued. “He gained this race at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring at school and was a rock star within the automobile. … I‘m not shocked in any respect he wins in Trans Am, IMSA or NASCAR. The child is simply actually, actually proficient.‘‘
That appears to be the prevailing theme for this foursome. They had been among the many top-five GTD Professional class automobiles in 4 of the six practices on the 3.56-mile Daytona Worldwide Speedway highway course through the three-day Roar Earlier than the 24 check — and that included a greatest displaying of second quickest within the Saturday morning session — with Zilisch posting that quickest lap.
“It‘s actually cool having a lot variety between the 4 of us and I positively see it in the best way we discuss in regards to the automobile, all of us have our personal methods to clarify issues, however we‘ve all come to an settlement on the finish of each session with how we really feel and that‘s actually optimistic in that sense,‘‘ Zilisch mentioned.
“It‘s robust in endurance racing that everybody has the identical sense of the automobile, however I really feel like we‘re actually aligned with how we really feel. I‘m excited to hopefully proceed to make the automobile higher.”
It‘s a sentiment shared by this proficient lineup that has already confirmed they’re up for the duty. And having a good time doing it.
“The largest factor for me is we‘re racing for enjoyable and if you‘re having enjoyable you‘re going to do effectively, as effectively,‘‘ van Gisbergen mentioned. “We‘re all pleased with the automobile and the steadiness of the automobile, who is aware of what might occur.”
