Struggling NASCAR Cup Rookie Credits Kevin Harvick’s Advice for Bristol Turnaround

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Struggling NASCAR Cup Rookie Credits Kevin Harvick’s Advice for Bristol Turnaround

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Sabyasachi Biswas | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 9:12 PM ET

Connor Zilisch secured a breakthrough victory at Bristol. The Trackhouse Racing rookie snapped a slow start to his Cup Series season. Zilisch told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that Kevin Harvick provided the key advice for the win. The Saturday victory helped the rookie regain his confidence.

“It was good to kind of prove to myself that I can do it still and that,” Zilisch said in a recent interview. “I haven’t completely lost all the talent that I have. So, it was reassuring for sure to go back and, at least get some confidence and remember kind of who I am.”

“Because Sunday racing will take it away from you really quick. And it’ll chew you up and spit you out. And it’s good to at least be able to get a little confidence from, from a win on Saturday.” Zilisch won 11 Xfinity Series races last year, and the recent win at Bristol made it 12 wins in two years.

"I haven't completely lost all the talent that I have."@ConnorZilisch discussed the confidence he gained after his win on Saturday at @ItsBristolBaby.

Full Interview → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/cwDAb0hk2k
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 14, 2026

Zilisch started the race on Saturday from 15th place and went on to finish the race on top. The race win wasn’t easy as he had to fight against Kyle Larson, the two-time Cup Series champion, and a veteran all-around Motorsports driver.

And for this, the rookie driver credited Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion, for mentoring him and providing important inputs to navigate through the Cup Series debut season. Harvick was the one who hailed Zilisch as NASCAR’s “most polished” prospect since Jeff Gordon.

Kevin Harvick Compared Connor Zilisch to Jeff Gordon

In 2025, while speaking about Connor Zilisch’s season and his upcoming full-time NASCAR debut with Trackhouse Racing, Kevin Harvick compared him with Jeff Gordon, one of NASCAR’s finest drivers. In an episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he said:

“He is the most polished — most well-rounded — young driver that’s come to the Cup Series in a long time — since Jeff Gordon. Connor was just one of those kids that stuck out. He could start in the back and go to the front. He’d make spectacular moves. And just since I’ve known him, that’s how he has carried himself.”

Despite such an inspirational journey, the Cup Series races on Sunday had been a tough ask for him. Currently, the Trackhouse Racing driver is in 33rd place in the Cup Series drivers’ standings with 84 points after eight races.