Rising NASCAR star Connor Zilisch finds his much-anticipated career move in Australia caught in the cross-winds of global manufacturer strategy, complicating a plan he had hoped would fast-track his international ambitions.
Zilisch, fresh off firing a stark warning to NASCAR rivals, confirmed he will not compete in the 2025 bp Adelaide Grand Final in the Supercars Championship this year, saying the initiative is “on hold for now”.
The 19 year-old, who recently explained why he refuses to change his NASCAR playoff approach, has taken the NASCAR world by storm, with eleven Xfinity Series wins to his name and a 2026 full-time Cup Series contract with Trackhouse Racing driving a Chevrolet.
Earlier this year, there was genuine buzz around Zilisch heading to Australia after his NASCAR season to race for Australia’s premier touring-car category alongside fellow NASCAR driver Austin Cindric. But those plans have changed.
Zilisch spoke openly about the shift, saying: “It won’t happen this year, but hopefully down the road, I want to make something like that happen.”
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“I always enjoy racing against the best in a different country and seeing what they have to offer.”
2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson had also expressed interest in racing at Adelaide, calling a potential start there in April a “bucket list” experience.
What’s behind the change for Zilisch? A key factor is the decision by Triple Eight Race Engineering (T8) – one of Australia’s dominant Supercars teams – to switch from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2026 season.
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Several reports say that GM’s alignment with Zilisch and Trackhouse (Chevrolet-branded) created a conflict with T8’s upcoming Ford shift, complicating an easy entry.
For Zilisch, this means that while the idea of an Australian outing remains alive in his mind, the timing, and the team/manufacturer alignment, is no longer ideal.
He remains committed to racing internationally, but the official wildcard entry for Adelaide is off the table this year.