← Herm & Schrader
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- [00:00]
Connor Zillich
Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.
- [00:02]
Nikki and Bri
Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?
- [00:05]
Connor Zillich
Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me. So Dana.
- [00:12]
Nikki and Bri
Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.
- [00:24]
Connor Zillich
Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.
- [00:31]
Kenny Wallace
Nice.
- [00:32]
Nikki and Bri
Je free.
- [00:32]
Connor Zillich
You heard them. T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on.
- [00:37]
Kenny Wallace
Us with eligible traded in any condition.
- [00:40]
Connor Zillich
So what are we having for lunch?
- [00:42]
Nikki and Bri
Dude, my work here is done.
- [00:44]
Connor Zillich
The 24 month bill credits on experience beyond for well qualified customers + tax.
- [00:47]
Kenny Wallace
And 35 device connection charge credit send and balance due. If you pay off earlier Cancel Finance Agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs 1099.99 A new line minimum 100 plus a month.
- [00:54]
Connor Zillich
Plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required.
- [00:56]
Kenny Wallace
Best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Oklahoma Speed Test Intelligence Data 182025 Visit T mobile.com you're not.
- [01:01]
Connor Zillich
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- [01:05]
Kenny Wallace
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- [01:07]
Connor Zillich
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- [01:08]
Kenny Wallace
They set you up for career success. Get access to over 20 pro level.
- [01:12]
Connor Zillich
Apps like Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro. Powerful tools to turn school projects into.
- [01:17]
Kenny Wallace
A standout career ready portfolio.
- [01:19]
Connor Zillich
And right now Students save over 55%.
- [01:21]
Kenny Wallace
On Creative Cloud Pro.
- [01:23]
Connor Zillich
Visit adobe.comstudents to learn more and start.
- [01:26]
Kenny Wallace
Creating your future today. Hello everyone and welcome back to Kenny Conversation brought to you by jegs, the leader in high performance aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to JEGS.com for everything you need to fix your car up or even your hot rod. Okay, deep breath everybody. Every 10 years or so a great talent comes along that shocks the racing world. And you are looking at him right now. Connor Zillich. Just 19 years old. Connor, how you doing buddy?
- [02:04]
Connor Zillich
I'm good Kenny. I. I can't complain. Everything in. In my life has. Has definitely been a lot of fun in the past few months. So yeah, I guess as a a 19 year old kid I. I could be living a lot worse of a life.
- [02:20]
Kenny Wallace
Yes, there are kids all over the world that want to be you and you definitely have a God given talent but you work hard for it. Before we started Kenny conversation with you today. You told me you're putting a lot of work in on the sim. You just got out of the sim, off the sim, and here you are and maybe tell all the kids what you do to prepare for these races.
- [02:48]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, it takes a lot, especially for me. I'm going to a lot of these tracks for the first time. So, you know, I'm asking people for help and, and trying to figure out how to get around these places the best, the best way. You know, NASCAR nowadays you get 25 minutes of practice and you know, going to a new track, it can be intimidating. So there's times where it's definitely a little bit tricky. But we have a lot of cool technology nowadays with these, these simulators that all the manufacturers have and that we all get access to as teams. And those are definitely very helpful. For me, it gives me reference and I'm able to show up and at least kind of feel like I've been to these places before, even though I haven't. But yeah, I've got a good team around me and a lot of great teammates that I can lean on for advice and help. And I go to pre race meetings every week with the Chevrolet Group with Josh Wise and Scott Speeds helping over there as well. I definitely am fortunate to have a lot of really good people around me that, that are able to kind of teach me and kind of guide me along my, along my way.
- [03:55]
Kenny Wallace
We have a lot to get to and we're going to. And we're going to celebrate your career. And I just want to say this, and I've told everybody, I said, I really do like Connor Zillich because when we went to Rockingham about three months ago or so, you showed me a lot of respect. And I guess Marty Lindley might have said, hey, go over and talk to Wallace. That was. That track was my jam. And you came up to me and you just were very nice to me. It was. I want to thank you for that. And you said, how do you, how do you get around Rockingham? And I find that your approach to racing is one of always looking for information. And now with you being on the sim and reaching out to people, did Marty, did Marty say to you.
- [04:43]
Connor Zillich
Go.
- [04:43]
Kenny Wallace
To. Go to Kenny or what made you come to me?
- [04:46]
Connor Zillich
You know, Marty, Marty. I was actually talking to Marty about you today. I went to lunch with him and you know, I was asking him how he knew you, because I told him I was going to talk to you today. And he said, that'll be fun. Kenny's. Kenny's a fun guy to talk to. So, you know, he. Part of it was just he wanted me to meet you. And then, you know, he said that you used to be really good when you raced here. So I said, hey, maybe, maybe. You know, obviously it's paved now and it's a little bit different, but maybe the still the same tactics still apply. So, no, it's just a way to get to know you and, you know, maybe if you had something useful, I was going to be able to use it.
- [05:22]
Kenny Wallace
Well, I just want to say that that was nice of you, but what I thought about was, look at this young kid. He wants to know because a lot of kids your age aren't as mature as you. They are. They know it all. They don't need any help. I wished I was like you when I was your age because you got no problem seeking out help. And I just want to say that I saw this quick video that made me happy. Max Verstappen, the great Formula one driver and your Red Bull partner. He was walking by you. What is it like to kind of give him a high five?
- [05:57]
Connor Zillich
It's cool. I actually. I went to dinner with him about a year ago in. In Texas. I went down there to film a video. SVG and the other two Red Bull F1 drivers at the time, it was Yuki and Liam, and I filmed a video at them. And Shane is actually pretty good friends with Max because during COVID when everyone was on iracing and on simulators messing around when they couldn't race in real life, SVG and Shane were. SVG and Max were teammates on iracing, so they became close friends. And I was down there filming with SVG and he invited me to dinner with him and Max and I got to Max and talk to him and get to know him better. He's definitely a lot different than the public kind of makes him out to be. He's. He's just another one of us. He's a racer, he likes racing. He. He, you know, just wants to go to the track and win races and. And not have to worry about, you know, the entire. The. The life that he, you know, lives. You know, it's. It's. It's pretty cool that I got to meet him and talk to him. And then I saw him again in Austria, and that's what that video is from a couple months ago. You know, I just was joking around with him. You know, he's a guy that I feel like would race anything if he was given the opportunity and had the time to do so. You know, I definitely respect him and look up to him. And, you Know, he's obviously crazy talented, so it's been fun to watch his F1 career and hopefully one day he'll get over here and, you know, get the chance to race either some stock cars or sports cars or something.
- [07:33]
Kenny Wallace
I really like that. I'm a big F1 fan, and I'm just amazed how chiseled out. I mean, even in NASCAR nowadays, you are not allowed to have a belly. And all you guys have got these new fire suits and they fit you, fit right to your skin. Man, when you look at those Formula one drivers, they are chiseled, aren't they?
- [07:53]
Connor Zillich
They're tiny. Like, tiny. A lot of them. Most of them are at least. It's crazy how small those guys are.
- [08:00]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. Okay, we're gonna start like this. You know, as I said, I want to let you know we are celebrating you, but, you know, I lived 27 years in Concord, North Carolina, and my daughter Brittany, she just moved here to St. Louis. And Brittany loves Charlotte, North Carolina, and it. It hurt her heart, but she wanted to move here to St. Louis to be with us. And I told Brittany yesterday, I said, I'm going to interview Connor Zillich. And she said, dad, where did he come from? I said, right, exactly. Where did he come from? And I looked it up. You're. To me, you're like this European Formula 1 driver, but am I seeing this right? Are you from friggin Con. Cornelius, North Carolina.
- [08:53]
Connor Zillich
I'm from Charlotte, so I grew up in, in South Charlotte and, and my dad worked at Wells Fargo downtown. And you know, I, I don't come from a racing family. I'm just one of the few people who actually is from Charlotte and, and grew up here.
- [09:09]
Kenny Wallace
I just find that absolutely amazing. And you kind of remind me of William Byron, where, you know, we had William on Kenny Conversation when he was. Won the Daytona 500, you know, and did sim racing and went to a racetrack and kicked their ass and it parlayed. Were you a NASCAR fan or were you a Formula one fan living in South Charlotte?
- [09:38]
Connor Zillich
I can't say I was ever a huge NASCAR fan. Honestly, like, growing up, I watched races and, you know, I. But I wasn't like most, you know, big NASCAR fans or, you know, the kids that come up racing and they collect all the die casts and they have all the stuff. You know, honestly, I just, I didn't. When I first started, I didn't know really what there was to achieve in racing or what there was to do. I didn't know I could go make a career out of it. I didn't know that there was such possibility. And, you know, just as a kid, I was doing it for fun with my dad and my brothers, and, you know, we just went to the track on weekends to get of my mom's hair and, you know, just go, you know, spend time as a family together. And, you know, I guess I was pretty good at it. And people were telling my dad, you know, hey, you should, you know, try and take things probably a little more seriously and maybe, you know, start traveling a little bit to go to races. And my dad was like, okay. So, you know, he took me to Indiana, my first race out of North Carolina, and, you know, I didn't know what anything was. I just. My dad didn't either. He had no idea what he was doing. He was just listening to people around him telling him what to do. And, yeah, one thing led to the next, and opportunities started to come my way, and my dad started commit more of his time to it and was taking days off of work to travel with me to Florida to go race, go karts. And I never. Growing up, I wasn't a big racing guy. I. I just. My dad got me into it, and I fell in love with it right away. And. And even back then, I just didn't know what the possibilities were down the road. I was just doing it for fun. I thought it was like soccer. I was just gonna go on the weekends and, you know, drive my little go kart and then, you know, go back home and go to school and, you know, things just snowballed and I found myself in Europe at a young age, before I was even a teenager, and. And just. Yeah, it's. It's pretty crazy how it all lined up and. And worked out. You know, I. I'm very fortunate that I met a lot of the people that I met at the right time, and. And, you know, there's. There's many people I have. I owe a lot to, and. And many people that bet on me and took a chance on me before, most people believed in me. But, yeah, honestly, growing up, I wasn't a big NASCAR fan, and. And even when I was, you know, 13 or 14, I wasn't like. I just. I didn't. I grew up in Charlotte, but, you know, I was just never really introduced to it. My family weren't really NASCAR fans. It was until I met Kevin Harvick in probably 2020, where I started, you know, paying closer attention. And then, you know, ever since then, I think I've watched every single race and you know, I've started to, or I clearly grew a passion for it and you know, now it's kind of my, my home and you know, I really enjoy it. So it's, it's definitely grown on me over the years. But you know, growing up, I never thought that I'd be racing in nascar.
- [12:49]
Kenny Wallace
This blows my mind because people from all over the world, Marcos Ambrose, Daniel Suarez, you know, you name it, they're coming from other countries to come to Charlotte, right. Where I mean, I moved from St. Louis, Missouri, you know, to North Carolina. You, you kind of remind me a little bit of a Jeff Gordon where Jeff is a good friend of mine. Of course he's way more mature than me, way more developed me, you know, I'm gonna have a little bit of fun and laugh. Jeff is extremely focused, but his story is kind of the same where, let me just stop right there because I've talked to Jeff like this. Do you realize, I mean, I have asked Tony Stewart this too. Do you realize that you have good. Have been given a God given talent, that you are just naturally gifted by God? Do you know that?
- [13:48]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, I mean, I've had people tell me and there's just something in me that I don't really want to like, accept. Like obviously I try and be humble, so I don't want to say that, you know, I'm just gifted. I'm, I'm better than, you know, others.
- [14:07]
Kenny Wallace
You know, I feel like you're working at it.
- [14:10]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, you know, I just, I'm just Connor. Right. I grew up doing it. I loved it. You know, at the end of the day like, I'm just me and I just want to race and have fun and you know, people always tell me, oh, you're really good or you know, you're this or you're that. And you know, for me I just, I just want to be me and go to the track and have fun and race and you know, I try not to listen to what people say about me, whether it's good or bad. I've had people tell me that I suck and you know, when I crash somebody, they tell me I shouldn't be here, but you know, when they tell me I'm really good and that, you know, I'm a once in a generation talent, you know, I try not to listen to them either. You know, obviously I appreciate when people are compliment, you know, complimentary towards, towards me and, and what I'm doing, but you know, I, I, I find that those things can get to your head easily and affect you. So, you know, it's, it's hard to balance that, right? You want to, you want to appreciate, you know, success. And I do. And I, every, every race I win, I, I surely do celebrate and, and you know, I make the most of each weekend. But you know, with that, I try to just be myself and not let you know what people tell me kind of affect me.
- [15:24]
Kenny Wallace
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- [17:04]
Connor Zillich
Vince Frame, Kurt Geiger, London and more. Because there's always something new.
- [17:08]
Kenny Wallace
I'm giving all the gifts this year with that extra 5% off when I.
- [17:11]
Nikki and Bri
Use my Nordstrom credit card.
- [17:13]
Connor Zillich
Santa who join the Nordy club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock our best deals. It's easy. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack.
- [17:24]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah. This is why I'm one of your biggest fans, because you are just so level headed and a lot of fun. I love that you smile all the time.
- [17:33]
Connor Zillich
Okay, thanks.
- [17:35]
Kenny Wallace
Here we go, everybody. We've kind of set the stage. From South Charlotte, NC just started racing because he thought it was something to do. So you start carts at age 5. Your dad quickly realizes that, oh my God, we have a diamond in the rough here. They have a diamond in the rough. Connor Zillich is Got talent. The family recognizes it. Let's fast forward a little bit. I want to go to 2017. You know, I did a lot of study. You know, I always show everybody. I, I do a lot of studying and this one blew me out of the water. 2017, winning the mini rock. And that's ROK World Championship in South Garda Italy. Now that's nice, but this is what, this is what shocked me. 160 other race car drivers from 33 countries and you kicked their ass. Holy moly. Tell me, tell me about that whole experience. What is that race when you got there, the magnitude of it and then when you stand in victory lane.
- [18:54]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, it's, it's funny because before that, you know, I, I won a pretty, you know, decent sized championship in America. So, you know, say you're racing quarter midgets and you win the quarter midget championship, you then would get a ticket to go race this race and you know, wherever it was. So I won the small, you know, this mid size go karting championship and I won the, the ticket to go race at the world championships, which is the biggest race for a kid that age in go karts. You know, I was racing. Do you know the guy Kimmy Antonelli, the F1 driver?
- [19:28]
Kenny Wallace
I don't know him.
- [19:30]
Connor Zillich
Kimmy. Kimmy, he's, he took Lewis Hamilton's seat at Mercedes.
- [19:34]
Kenny Wallace
Kimmy Rankinen, but I've not Antonelli, he's.
- [19:38]
Connor Zillich
A little younger than Kimmy Raikkonen. He's my age. So Kimmy, you know, Kimmy is in F1 now and he was in that race and there's a lot of other guys that are, you know, very close to F1 that I was racing against. And I went over there and you know, at this point nobody knew who I was and even, you know, my team, I was going over there with another American driver who was supposedly better than me and you know, they give him the A class mechanic and I, you know, was kind of just going over there for the experience of it and you know, the race comes around and you know, there's 164 kids in my class and only 34 make the main event. So you know, they, they cut down and heat races and everything and you know, kind of like the Chili bowl where there's only 20 guys in the A main versus I love it, you.
- [20:26]
Kenny Wallace
Know, about the Chili bowl and us.
- [20:27]
Connor Zillich
Rednecks of course, of course. So they, they cut it down and, and you know, I'm starting the main and I think I started ninth and you know, I went into this with no expectations. I was hoping to make the a main. Coming into this weekend, and I end up going out and. And winning the whole race and. And winning a World Championship at 11 years old. And that's really the moment that things changed for me. That was my first time going to Europe. And, you know, after that, I started going back every summer after school ended, and I would go to Europe for months, and, you know, I'd spend three months there. And then when school started back up, I'd come home, and eventually I switched to online school and, you know, kind of bet on myself in a sense. And, you know, that's kind of what led me to the point I'm at today. You know, that really kind of took my career in a 180 after winning that race, just because of the magnitude of it and how big it was. And the team said, you know, we want to bring you back, and we want to, you know, continue helping you, and we want to race with you again. So, you know, after that race, I. I started traveling to Europe a lot more often, and, you know, it just kind of raised my. My name in. In this. In our sport and. And kind of the. The division I was in. So, yeah, that was really cool. You know, I remember the experience of it just going, you know, I thought it was so cool. I was 11 years old, and I was going to Europe for my sport, and I remember my friends in school were like, you're going, you know, to race. Go karts? Like hell. Yeah, they had no idea. But I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. And. And then I went over there and won. And, yeah, it changed. Changed the direction of. Of my career and my life.
- [22:11]
Kenny Wallace
Racer to racer, just me and you. Where do you think you excel more than those other racers? Is it breaking? Is it entry? Is it roll? Speed? Where. When you won that race, where did. Where were you getting them at?
- [22:29]
Connor Zillich
I think, for me, I feel like I've always been really good with, you know, my left foot and using the brake. And even today, like, you know, I feel like I went to Martinsville for the first time in the Xfinity car earlier this year, and, you know, I qualified on the pole and led, you know, 100 laps until, you know, the race became a mess. But, you know, I feel like those kinds of tracks, gateway, all the road courses, you know, the road courses, you're. You're always using the brake to. To try and make speed, so I feel like that's always been a strength of mine. You know, even back when I was, was, you know, racing go karts. So, you know, I, I don't know what it is that, you know, makes me good at it, but I feel like that's one thing I've always been really good with.
- [23:15]
Kenny Wallace
Interesting. Because I spent some time with Jimmy Johnson, you know, our seven time champion. We were testing in Vegas and you know, when you talk to Jeff Gordon, he said he's either on the gas or off the gas. But Jimmy Johnson tells me that, you know, he really rides the brake a lot. But, but when we tested at Vegas, he said he was testing when he entered one, letting off the gas and not using any brake rolls free getting on the corner. But I must say I like this because, yes, I mean, as I raced my dirt car today, my lord, when, when you lose brakes, you realize, and you don't really lose them, but you realize how much you're using them. You know, just your foot's over there and you're, it's kind of funny. It's like an old, you know, tractor. You're like, oh God, I need these brakes. And I like you telling me that because I think that gives all racers a look inside. You know, they always say there's a, there's a string connected from your brain to your arms to your butt to your feet. And I call it playing the piano. And my friend Connor, you have an incredible talent. Everything. You play the piano beautifully, all your extremities, doing all the correct work. And thank you for telling us that. Okay, so I. Now we find out, even though you're from South Charlotte, North Carolina, now we know why everybody says, oh yeah, he's from Europe, he's a Europe driver. And when I looked it up, I'm like, oh, no, he's from Charlotte. Are you aware of, you know, we lost the Great Dan Weldon, IndyCar driver and his son Sebastian. I've done some things with Sebastian Weldon. He's over in Italy too. Do you feel like that is the go to thing now for the kids nowadays? Get over Italy. Are they more well advanced? What is the thing with Europe?
- [25:18]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, I, I do think it helped me a lot. It's just over there, it's, it's a lot more competitive each aspect. You know, in America, when, when a father wants their son to race, there's a lot of different things they can put their kid in. You can go race dirt oval, or you can go race quarter midgets, or you can go race, go karts. There's just so many avenues that you can, you know, take your kids. So a lot of the talent gets spread up and moved around. And in Europe, if a kid wants their son to race, everybody wants to race F1. So every kid is racing go karts. And there's just a lot more people racing and in this one kind of division and, you know, it makes it a lot tougher to win, and it makes it a lot tougher to be the top guy because there's so many more drivers, drivers over there that are just doing this one sport. So I actually, I. I grew up kind of racing around Sebastian. I was always a couple years older and, and, you know, never raced against him directly, but, you know, I know Sebastian and his brother Oliver pretty well and the whole Weldon family. So, yeah, it's, It's. It's cool to see what, what they're doing. And, and, you know, I watched the, the documentary. I'm not sure if you've seen it. The. The Lionheart documentary. Did you watch that? That? Yeah, you gotta watch it. It was really good. It was really good. And, and, you know, they're, you know, Kevin also took Keelan. Kevin Harvick took Keelan, his son to Europe and, And Keelan raced over there a little bit and, and spent some time over there. So I feel like it's, It's. It's also just really good for, you know, growing up and, you know, maturing and, and, and learning about the world. You know, if you can get over there, you know, it obviously isn't free. Right. You know, everything comes with a cost. But if you can get over there and. And just get to experience it, it's. It's really cool. You're having to go around a language barrier. And, you know, I spent time over there. I was never with my parents. You know, I always got sent over there with my. My go kart mechanic. And, you know, I lived with him and, you know, he was a guy that was kind of. You know, he's basically like my dad at some point. Like, you know, we spent all the. All, all the. You know, we were with each other the whole time. And.
- [27:37]
Kenny Wallace
You're a kid, baby. In my.
- [27:39]
Connor Zillich
I was 11, 11 or 12 or 13 years old, and there'd be days where he didn't want to go to dinner with me. He was sick of me. So he would, you know, send me on a bicycle. And I was in a place where I didn't even speak the language and eaten by myself at 12 or 13 years old. So, you know, I've got A lot of really cool stories from the time I spent over there, not just at the racetrack, but away from the racetrack as well. So, yeah, I definitely think it's. It's a good experience as a kid to get over there and not only learn from the kids that are over there, you know, the talent that they have, but also just the. The life experience of having to figure things out and, and get through problems and find solutions for things that you've never really dealt with before.
- [28:22]
Nikki and Bri
Hey, everyone, it's Nikki and Bri. And we're here to let you know that we have a podcast, the Nikki and Bri Show. Yes. And we've got new episodes every Monday and Thursday. We're serving up real deal conversations that go beyond the cameras. Think motherhood confessions, sisterhood vibes, boss business energy, and TV life. Tea. Need a laugh? We got you craving inspo. We got inspiration and affirmations on deck. Want a little cry or a big. Heck yes. That's our jam. Whether we're breaking down pop culture, sharing parenting wins or fails, unpacking personal growth, or just riffing on everyday chaos, nothing is off limits. Plus, we welcome incredible guests, play our favorite games, and do what only sisters can. Keep it 100 while raising a glass together. So pop a bottle, hit play, and come hang with us. Listen to the Nikki and Brie show wherever you get your podcast.
- [29:23]
Connor Zillich
91 1, what's your emergency?
- [29:25]
Kenny Wallace
Got tornadoes coming right at us.
- [29:29]
Connor Zillich
ABC. Tonight, the 911 universe expands to natural.
- [29:34]
Kenny Wallace
Tornado two miles from executive producer Ryan Murphy. Get everyone you can and send them out here now.
- [29:40]
Connor Zillich
Chris o', Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Kimberly Williams, Paisley, Leanne Rhymes. We are on the.
- [29:45]
Kenny Wallace
Move the hell to stage, kid.
- [29:47]
Connor Zillich
911 Nashville.
- [29:49]
Kenny Wallace
Series premiere tonight, 98 Central on ABC.
- [29:51]
Connor Zillich
And stream next day on Hulu.
- [29:54]
Kenny Wallace
All right, listen up, kids. At first I heard of Danica Patrick. Her dad sent her over to Europe. Then now we're looking at Kalyn Harvick over there. Now you and. And you tell an interesting story. And everybody loves racing, so it's super competitive. And if you can come out of Europe running really good, dad. I mean, and you look at Keelan. I mean, it is an amazing situation. Just like you. He's winning everything, and he's a child. And those super late models, buddy, they're fast. Yeah, it blows my mind to see you kids develop so fast. I love it. Okay, everybody, here's what we're gonna do now. You are like Kyle Larson, because when I. I told Kyle Larson, I said, kyle. When I study up on you like, it's hard for me to, you know, name all your stats off because your stats literally roll off pages and pages. And it's the same with you. Your stats just start rolling. It's like, oh, my God. It's just too much. So I want you to interrupt me when you can, but I'm going to start naming some of your stats at a young age. And feel free to have fun with me. 2024. Now we're just going to go from the beginning. Then we're going to kind of go down a little bit. But. But I picked the highlights. Okay, I know, I know. There's a lot more. Okay, well, let's go 2020. Let's go 2020 up. Okay. We've already talked about 2017. You win the Mini Rock in South Garda, Italy. That's unbelievable. And as you said, that really propelled you to greatness.
- [31:39]
Connor Zillich
Yeah.
- [31:40]
Kenny Wallace
2020, CIK Sick FIA Carting Academy Trophy winner. Seems like a pretty big deal.
- [31:50]
Connor Zillich
Yeah. Yeah, that one was big because, you know, 10 years before I won that championship, Charles LeClaire, the F1 driver who was. He won that championship before me. So it was cool to win something that he had won. And that that series is actually really cool. It's a three race series in Europe and they take one kid from 50 different countries and, you know, the country, the sanctioning body in the country picks the kid that they're going to send over there, and then they all race in this series. So it was cool to win that because, you know, there was kids from over 40 different countries, you know, that I was racing against.
- [32:28]
Kenny Wallace
You were the first American to win that event, is what it says.
- [32:33]
Connor Zillich
Yeah.
- [32:34]
Kenny Wallace
Now, did you know that or did they have to tell you that? And what did that feel like?
- [32:39]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, I did know. I knew that no other American had won that championship before, so it was pretty cool. And I had a lot of fun doing that as well. It was just a unique experience to get to brace against kids from all over the world at 14. I think I was 14 or 15 when I won it. So to be able to do that and get to race against so many different, you know, different kinds of people and people from all over the place was. Was cool.
- [33:10]
Kenny Wallace
You are worldly, and that is. A lot of people can't do that. You know that. I mean, you look at Dale Earnhardt Jr. I mean, it was a big deal for him to go to Germany, where his ancestry's from. We're going to Germany. I mean, you became worldly at a very early age. That's awesome. Okay, this one here I really like too. 20, 21 Mazda MX5 cup shootout scholarship winner. You won a hundred and ten thousand dollars in cash to compete in the series. Did I say that right? And tell me all about that.
- [33:47]
Connor Zillich
Yeah. So they have a Mazda as is one of the, you know, greatest grassroots, you know, motorsports brands there is. They, they love helping give people opportunity. And, you know, you. There's this shootout and they don't only judge people based on, you know, how fast they can go around the track for a lap. They judge them off the person they are. They judge them off how marketable they are. They have judges that, that are, you know, constantly judging you on, on, you know, not just how fast you are, but the person you are as well. So it was cool to, to get to win that, and it gave me the opportunity to race in the Mazda MX5 series the year after that. And they race alongside IMSA. So you're getting your name out there in front of, you know, all the big manufacturers, Chevy and Ford and, you know, Toyota has a car there and all the different manufacturers have cars that race in imsa. So, you know, it's kind of like arca. You're racing, you know, you're not a part of the big show, but, you know, you're racing alongside of them. And to get to do that was pretty cool. And I got to do it for free too, because of that scholarship. So. So, yeah, that was, that was big for me. It was kind of my first, you know, chance to go pro racing in, in 2022.
- [35:03]
Kenny Wallace
Kind of like college. You know, you're a kid out of high school and you win a scholarship because they see something special in you and you're like, oh, let's not let this go to waste. Let's. Let's give him a little money and see how far he can go. Okay, the next one, I got two of them in 2024, okay, you go to the 24 hours of Daytona and you win the LMP2 winner. Now, I do want to say not. Not long later, you go to 12 hours of Sebring and you also win LMP2 winner. You know, I know those are close. In the same months, 2024, you come back to America and. And you light it up.
- [35:48]
Connor Zillich
Yeah. Yeah, those were the, The Rolex that I have is, is one of the coolest trophies I think there is in the sport. And then to, you know, go straight from Daytona and, you know, I think a month or two later, win in Sebring. When, you know, two of the biggest sports car races in America, those were pretty crazy. And, and those are the kind of races I grew up watching and, and you know, racing go karts. Those. It's kind of where you want to go when you're racing go karts. You want to be a sports car driver, you want to drive the cool prototype cars. And that car was really, really fun to drive. A lot of downforce, a lot of grip, kind of like a big go kart. And yeah, Daytona having, having, you know, that Rolex. It sits in my bathroom in a watch box, but it's one of the coolest trophies I have.
- [36:35]
Kenny Wallace
Absolutely, absolutely. I pay attention to that. Okay, so this conversation with you is kind of letting everybody know how you got here because you're so young. The next one I want to do about you is the teams that basically they're like, man, we want this kid to drive for us. And when I start studying up on you, it kind of, it kind of shocked me. So I want to say this and feel free to, you know, tell me anything. So most kids that race, they're like, I don't have any money, I don't know how to start. You are a development driver, basically, you know, because you're young, you were young. You're a development driver for Track house since 2024. Okay, so, so Track House signed you on as a development driver, but listen to all these little tentacles. You become an Xfinity driver for Junior Motorsports. Now, do I understand this right? Does Track House, do they lend you out since you are under contract with them?
- [37:47]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, it basically. So I signed with Trackhouse at the end of 2023 and you know, I signed a multi year deal with them. And, and the end goal for them is to hopefully, you know, form me into a Cup series ready driver, which I'll race for them in cup next year and in 2020. We're getting there.
- [38:05]
Kenny Wallace
We're getting there, everybody.
- [38:08]
Connor Zillich
And so yeah, they, they signed me with the goal of, you know, getting me to be a cup level driver one day. And, and they took a chance, right, because they're going to invest money and, and you know, they're taking a chance on me because if I end up, you know, sucking and not winning races, then they spent money on something that, you know, didn't even help their sponsors or didn't even help their team. You know, they, they wanted me to race for jrm, you know, which is the best team in the Xfinity series for, for Chevrolet and they wanted me to race for them and get the chance to, to you know, grow my skill set. So you know, they helped find sponsors and help find, you know, the money to go race that and you know, in the end they wanted me to one day race for them in Cup.
- [38:56]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, I love this. So here we go. Now that we've followed this bouncing ball, so to speak. So you drive for the XFINITY car Junior Motorsports, NASCAR Truck series, Vernice Motorsports and Spire. Now I could be out of order here, but I was just looking at all the teams that want you to drive for them cars Tour and Trans Am series for Silver Hair racing. What does that mean?
- [39:29]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, it's a, it's actually they, they did a lot for me. They gave me my first ride in a stock car. So. Do you know the Trans Am series, I assume.
- [39:37]
Kenny Wallace
Oh yeah, yes, yes.
- [39:38]
Connor Zillich
Yeah. Yeah. So it's a lot of fun. The cars are really cool. It's, it's you know, kind of like a, you know, NASCAR or you know an old car where tube frame, you know, you build it yourself and yeah, yeah, it was, it was really cool to get to race for Silver Hair and, and it's actually owned by two older, an older couple that just loves racing. They, they, the older gentleman that, that owns the team, he used to race himself, you know, and he wanted to start a competitive team and have a driver go out and win races for them. And you know, that was. I was 16, 17 when they, they picked me up and wanted me to race for them. And that was a cool, cool year. I got to win a lot of races with them and you know, kind of get my name into the stock car world.
- [40:24]
Kenny Wallace
I can title Kenny Conversation right now. It's going to say who is Connor Zilich? I'm having so much fun listening to this. Okay, the other one, IMS Sports Car Championship for Track House and TF Sport in the Global MX5 Cup. Now we talked about MX5, but what did Track House have to do with it?
- [40:46]
Connor Zillich
I, I don't think, I think I raced for Trackhouse this year in the 24 hour, but I never, I, I never raced for trackhouse in the MX. The, the trackhouse part of that with TF. We ran a Corvette in the 24 hours Daytona this year with, with me, SVG Scott McLaughlin.
- [41:04]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, that looked like fun.
- [41:06]
Connor Zillich
And Ben Keating. So that was, that was really cool to get to race a Corvette at daytona in the 24 hour. And, and trackhouse helped put that all together. And, and you know, Justin Marks obviously is one of the the, you know, most forward thinking and, and, you know, just, just outside the box team owners that we have in our sport. And he always wanted to be a part of that race with, with Trackhouse, so we did that this year.
- [41:33]
Kenny Wallace
When you get inside, when you get inside some of those road course cars, like, I just came back from Italy, I went to Lamborghini and I saw a car that they won with and you know, they had it on, on display. I love, I love the European people. They bring their race cars back to Europe from running 24 hours and they just leave it alone and they slack over it and, and you know, they keep all the rubber on it. But when I was at Lamborghini and I went to Ferrari and Modena and Max Pappas got me in to Lamborghini, when I looked at the interior, are the, are the interiors a little overwhelming on those cars? There are so many switches, so much gadgetry. Do you have to sit in them and learn them for a little bit?
- [42:22]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, they're. When I, when they told me I was racing for them in the 24 this year, they sent me an email with a handbook. And it was like a 70 page handbook on, you know, what all the buttons mean and all the tools and everything you have inside the car. So, you know, for me who never went to high school, having to read through this book and learn what I needed to do for this car was a lot of work. But, you know, it was, it was cool. You know, it's, it's just a lot different. You know, you race a NASCAR and you got what, a brake bias adjuster maybe, and maybe a brake switch, a brake fan, and you get these things and you have tracks, control, abs, power steering. There's just so many different buttons that you can, you can use and ways to change the way the car is driving and the tools. So it took a little bit to learn that, but it was cool, you know, just getting to kind of figure out how to make a different car go fast.
- [43:20]
Nikki and Bri
Hey, everyone, it's Nikki and Bri. And we're here to let you know that we have a podcast, the Nicki and Bri Show.
- [43:26]
Connor Zillich
Yes.
- [43:27]
Nikki and Bri
And we've got new episodes every Monday and Thursday. We're serving up real deal conversations that go beyond the cameras. Think Motherhood confessions, Sisterhood vibes, boss business energy and TV life. Tea. Need a laugh? We got you craving inspo. We got inspiration and affirmations on deck. Want a little cry or a big. Heck yes. That's our jam. Whether we're breaking down Pop culture sharing, parenting wins or fails, Unpacking personal growth or just riffing on everyday chaos. Nothing is off limits. Plus, we welcome incredible guests, play our favorite games and do what only sisters can. Keep it 100 while raising a glass together. So pop a bottle, hit play and come hang with us. Listen to the Nikki and Brie show wherever you get your podcast.
- [44:21]
Connor Zillich
91 1, what's your emergency?
- [44:23]
Kenny Wallace
Got tornado. It's coming right at us.
- [44:27]
Connor Zillich
ABC Tonight, the 911 universe expands to Nashville.
- [44:31]
Kenny Wallace
A Farad is a torture tornado. Two miles from Executive producer Ryan Murphy. Get everyone you can and send them out here now.
- [44:38]
Connor Zillich
Chris o', Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Kimberly Williams, Paisley, Leanne Rhymes. We are on the move.
- [44:44]
Kenny Wallace
Hell of a safe kid. 911 Nashville series premiere tonight 98 Central on ABC and stream next day on hubu. I know by now you are used to racing for everybody, but inquiring minds want to know what do you do with all your seats? Do you have a seat? I mean, got seat inserts, like when you drive for all these teams. At what moment did you say, okay, we got an issue here? I gotta. How did you control your seat process with all these cars?
- [45:15]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, I, I basically just pour inserts everywhere I go. Thankfully, none of the teams that I've raced for needed me to bring a seat, so I don't own any seats. So they, they always have been easy with me, just letting me pour an insert in their car. And then, you know, if I ever come back and race for them again, they've already got my insert there and ready to go. But yeah, when I have to start buying seats, it's going to be a bad day because I don't own any right now.
- [45:41]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, I love that. So we still got a lot more to go here. Well, not a lot, but we're going to get through the xfinity series and we're going to get to you running cup next year. But I want to ask you a unique question. What is it like to be a Red Bull athlete? You are a Red Bull athlete. I see your hat and I got it on my notes here. That's got to be an honor. What are some of the wildest things tell us about being a Red Bull athlete?
- [46:10]
Connor Zillich
It's really cool when I get to go to events, an F1 race and a lot of the Red Bull athletes will go to these big events and you get to meet these people who every single Red Bull athlete is at the highest level of their sport or whatever they're doing. So I've met you know, world class snowboarders and world class basketball players, world class volleyball players, you name it. And Red Bull has these athletes. So to be a part of a group of just 99 percentile athletes is really cool. You know, you can ask them questions about their sport and learn what it takes to be the best at what they're doing. And, and you know, I've met a lot of people through Red Bull and a lot of athletes that are just absolutely insane. You know, guys that are jumping off of cliffs and doing triple backflips off, you know, cliffs, like, they're just, they're unreal. And then I feel like I'm a complete loser because all I do is push a gas left.
- [47:13]
Kenny Wallace
We are on the ground. They're flying.
- [47:15]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, there's, there's things that, you know, some of these people do that are insane. And, and Red Bu is just. They want, they will almost never say no to an idea or an opportunity. So, you know, if I come up with a crazy idea, I want to drive a NASCAR and I want to make the fastest lap at a track, you know, they're going to try and find a way to do it. You know, that's not, that's nothing I've done. But just for an example, like, they, they want to do crazy stuff and make crazy stuff possible. And it's cool that I get to kind of experience that and get to be a part of it and get to see behind the scenes of what it's like being a part of one of the, you know, coolest brands and, and not only motorsports, but just sports in our world.
- [47:59]
Kenny Wallace
I know when I'm on Instagram and I'm scrolling Instagram, there are some things that Red Bull puts on there to just makes my breath, you know, I mean, I stopped breathing for a minute. I'm like, yeah, I mean, guys jumping buses while the buses are going down the road. That was the last one I saw. I'm like, oh my gosh. Well, okay, we are coming to the end, everybody. And I, I wanna, I wanna tell you a, a fun situation I had with one of my best friends in life, Kenny Schrader. Kenny Schrader is one of the greatest race car drivers of all time. He's 70 now, but he's still racing. And if you ever want to know about Kenny Schrader, Connor, just go to YouTube and push in Kenny Schrader in a. At Eldora. And it goes back to ancient times. But it's when guys think they're high and Schrader still goes around them. But Kenny and I are great friends and we do, we do Herman Schrader every Wednesday right here on Dirty Moe. And then of course it shows up on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show. So every week we talk about racing every, you know, every Wednesday. And I said, schrader, breaking news in the Xfinity series. He said, what is it? I said, connor Zilich lost a race. He runs second. My friend, you are setting now. You know, you know that I am the mayor of the Xfinity series. It saved my career. I only won nine times. But I showed up and, and I was okay. Pretty soon they're gonna break my record right there. I got 547 starts. I still have the most starts. But I just want to let you know my background and my interest in you in the Xfinity series. I know what you're up to. Like I say, I tease. I'm the mayor of the Xfinity series. Okay, now that we, now that I've bragged on me. Haha, you, you've done some stuff that I'm paying attention to. You just now did something that blows my mind and I, I, I'm using that a lot. Blows my mind. You just broke the great Sam Ar's record. You've got 16 straight top five finishes. And my friend, that is a tough series. You know, th, those are the best of the best that want to make it to the cup series. So it's kind of a loaded question. Has Marty Lindley showed you the double zero of Sam Ard, those big wheel wells? Sam Ard was a badass. He was a big man. That is extremely hard to do. Tell me about this record. 16 straight top five finishes breaking the great Sam Ard's record.
- [50:58]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, it's, it's pretty crazy and it goes beyond me, right? You have to have a car that doesn't have a mechanical problem for 16 straight races. You got to go 16 straight races without getting involved in a wreck that couldn't even be your fault. Your pit crew can't, you know, mess up the last pit stop for 16 races in a row. So there's a lot of things that have to go your way to, to win 16 races or not win, but finish top five in 16 races in.
- [51:23]
Kenny Wallace
A row and well, you won what, seven of eight?
- [51:27]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, we've won a lot of them. We have nine this year so far and we've won eight of the last, whatever, 16. I think we've won half of them. So it's pretty, pretty incredible. And just the team has so much to do with that. And the cars that junior motorsports has been bringing to the track the last five or six months, and this entire year have just been so competitive, and that's just a lot of it. So I'm just the lucky one that gets to be behind the wheel and gets to push the. The pedals and. And, you know, my name's on the door, but, you know, I'm. I'm just grateful to. To be able to have the opportunity to drive these cars.
- [52:07]
Kenny Wallace
So I want to make fun of me for a minute as I move my head here, Everybody. There it is. 5, 547 starts, you know, nine wins, like, 190 top tens.
- [52:19]
Connor Zillich
Yep.
- [52:20]
Kenny Wallace
Listen to. Listen to his stats, Everybody. Listen to Connor. 31 Xfinity races. 31. He's already won 10 races, 22 top tens, and eight polls. Oh, my lord. Jeff Gordon didn't do that good do. Now you've run. You've run the three cup races. What do you feel the difference between the next gen car that you're going to be in next year and what do you feel in the xfinity car? Now, I'm asking you this, not just for myself, but all the racers out of there.
- [53:04]
Connor Zillich
Yeah. The. The cup cars are completely different. Ever since, you know, the next gen car came out, it's completely changed things. And, you know, those cup drivers will tell you, you know, they. They are vocal about it, about how unique and just different the cars drive, how different they race, the air, how dirty air affects them. So for me, I haven't ran that many xfinity races, so I don't really have a big baseline. And I'm not like Kyle Busch, who has done hundreds and hundreds of races in the old car. And then you get this new car, and it's like, what the heck is this? So I think it's a good thing for me because I haven't really built any habits. I'm just. Just young, want to go fast and, you know, figure things out. But it is tough. You know, I feel like when you go from Saturday to Sunday, the biggest thing isn't going to be the difference of the car for me. It's going to be the guys I'm racing against. Everybody that races on Sundays has won on Saturday, has won on Friday in truck races and has won championships. It's just a completely different ball game. The drivers are so much more talented and gifted and smart. Everybody is so smart. You're not going to outsmart guys on Sunday like you are on Saturday. So yeah, it's just a battle of execution. It's a battle of using your mind to outsmart these guys or try to. The car is obviously a lot different, but the biggest difference is just how good everybody is.
- [54:40]
Kenny Wallace
Yeah, well said. All right, this is the end, everybody. And this is celebrating you right here. You are officially going to the NASCAR cup series in 2026. You're going to be driving for Track House. And this is what it's all about. This is what dreams are made of. Your crew chief was just announced. Randall Burnett, I know him well. His family owns Millbridge. Out there. They are the ultimate racing family. My good friend Nick Hoffman builds my dirt cars. I'm excited that Randall Burnett is going to be your crew chief in Cup. So let's end like this. You're going to the Cup Series. It's like going formula one. Tell me your thoughts.
- [55:30]
Connor Zillich
Yeah, first of all, it is a dream come true. You know, growing up, I just wanted to race. I wanted to, you know, when I figured out that I could make money this, I was like, man, this has got to be the greatest thing ever. Like, I, I don't know who invented this, but I want to do that. So, you know, I'm living out that, that 10 year old, 11 year old me's dream of, of, you know, getting to earn money driving a race car. And you know, for that I'm, I'm just really excited and, and I'm going to be a part of a great organization with Trackhouse. And you know, Justin Marks is, is doing everything he can, investing in the right places, finding the right people to, to run Trackhouse and, and try and make it, you know, one of those big three or four teams that, that we have in the cup series. So yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna do everything we can next year. I know it's not going to be easy. Those guys aren't going to take it easy on the, on the teenager. But you know, I'm excited to go out there and just figure it out and learn and, and try and get better each day, try and get better each weekend. And hopefully by the time, you know, Phoenix comes around, I'm a better driver than I was at the Daytona 500. So I'm excited for it. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be tough. But you know, at the end of the day, I'm living out my dream and I feel like each Monday I'm going to have to remind myself that and just try and Stay positive about it because, you know, there's going to be days where I'm sure I'm not going to be, you know, competing for wins, but, you know, I'm learning, I'm having fun and I'm doing what I always dreamed of. So, you know, hopefully I can remind myself that each week and, and, you know, keep the smile on my face.
- [57:05]
Kenny Wallace
You're looking at him, everybody. There was Jeff Gordon that came along and shocked the racing world, then Tony Stewart, then Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell. And I feel like you're a driver right there in maybe five, five fingers. Top 10 for sure. Not many like you. All right, everybody, listen up. Kenny Conversation is in podcast form on Dirty Mo Media. So go over there. If you're driving down a road and you, you want to put the earbuds in, you want to listen. If not, you can see Connor Zillis's pretty face on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show. And you can watch this until the next Kenny Conversation. Connor, do you have anything else to say, my friend?
- [57:53]
Connor Zillich
Just thank you. I appreciate you having me and hopefully I'll see you at the track again soon and, and you know, may track you're good at. I could get some, some more advice from you.
- [58:04]
Kenny Wallace
Got a couple clocks from Martinsville, so we'll talk about that.
- [58:06]
Connor Zillich
There we go.
- [58:07]
Kenny Wallace
You got. You already got that figured out.
- [58:09]
Connor Zillich
Okay.
- [58:10]
Kenny Wallace
Okay, everybody, once again, until the next Kenny Conversation. We'll see you next time. Goodbye, everybody. Check out Dirty Mo Media on Twitter.
- [58:25]
Connor Zillich
Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram.
- [58:28]
Nikki and Bri
Hey, everyone, it's Nikki and Bri, and we're here to let you know that we have a podcast, the Nicki and Bri Show.
- [58:34]
Connor Zillich
Yes.
- [58:35]
Nikki and Bri
And we've got new episodes every Monday and Thursday. We're serving up real deal conversations that go beyond the cameras. Think Motherhood Confessions, Sisterhood vibes, boss business energy, and TV life Tea. Need a laugh? We got you craving inspo. We got inspiration and affirmations on deck. Want a little cry or a big Heck yes. That's our jam. Whether we're breaking down pop culture, sharing parenting wins or fails, unpacking personal growth, or just riffing on everyday chaos, nothing is off limits. Plus, we welcome incredible guests, play our favorite games, and do what only sisters can. Keep it 100 while raising a glass together. So pop a bottle, hit play, and come hang with us. Listen to the Nikki and Bree show wherever you get your podcast.
- [59:31]
Connor Zillich
When the flu is keeping you up.
- [59:33]
Kenny Wallace
At night, don't try to tough it out.
- [59:35]
Connor Zillich
Knock out your flu symptoms with Nyquil.
- [59:37]
Kenny Wallace
Intense flu you got this.
- [59:39]
Connor Zillich
It provides powerful relief of your flu symptoms so you can sleep well through the night. Nyquil Intense flu the nighttime Sniffling, aching, aching fever. Best sleep with a flu medicine. Use as directed. Keep out of reach of children.