Richmond, Bristol, Martinsville added to 17-year-old Prodigy’s 2024 Calendar
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 25, 2024) – Spire Motorsports has partnered with Connor Zilisch and Silver Hare Racing to add three additional NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) races to the 17-year-old racing phenom’s ambitious 2024 plans.
All totaled, Zilisch will compete in five NCTS races for Spire Motorsports as part of the organization’s all-star lineup led by veteran crew chief Brian Pattie.
The Mooresville, N.C., native made his debut for Spire Motorsports earlier this season at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where he qualified on the pole, subsequently setting a new track record. Despite an early race miscue, Zilisch was undeterred and raced his way to a spirited fourth-place finish in his first career NCTS start.
“It’s pretty hard not to be amped up when you get three more races with someone as talented as Connor Zilisch,” said Pattie. “He’s shaping to be up to be a generational talent and to say he was impressive at COTA would be an understatement, at best. He’s proven that he can drive anything on four wheels so we’re definitely looking forward to having him back in our truck at Richmond.”
It was previously announced Zilisch would drive the No. 7 Chevy Silverado at Talladega Superspeedway October 4 and that Spire Motorsports will coordinate a separate entry for him at the October 27 NCTS playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Since then, Spire Motorsports and Zilisch have agreed to races at Richmond Raceway (Aug. 10), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 19) and Martinsville Speedway (Nov. 1). Silver Hare Racing will serve as Zilisch’s primary sponsor at Richmond, Bristol and Homestead and as an associate sponsor at Talladega and Martinsville.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation was originally scheduled to be Zilisch’s primary partner at Homestead but will now serve in that capacity at Martinsville.
Zilisch, 17, is an accomplished karting and road racer who, most notably, was part of Era Motorsport’s LMP2 class win at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, making him the second-youngest driver, ever, to win the iconic race. He is a six-time Trans-Am TA2 class race winner for Silver Hare Racing and a central component of Trackhouse Racing’s driver development program.
About Silver Hare Racing …
Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
