• Kelly Crandall

Nov 14, 2025, 12:37 PM ET

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In the three Cup Series starts Zilisch made in 2025, the learning curve and time it’s going to take for him to adjust were front and center. He knows he will make mistakes, the car leaves little room for error because of how on edge it is, and he will have bad days.

“There are no breaks given whether you’re racing for the win, a top 10 or 32nd,” Zilisch said. “It doesn’t matter; everyone is there to be in the next-best position and everyone gets paid to finish as good as possible. There is no slack cut like there is in Xfinity. In Xfinity, you get to the top five, and it gets tougher, but from 10th on back, especially being in such a good car, people understand that you’re not going to be able to hold someone off for long. But in Cup, it’s just ruthless. Those guys race for every spot like it’s the last lap of their lives.

“It’s what it’s talked up to be. The Cup Series is no joke, and I don’t think it’s quite understood how big of a jump Saturday to Sunday is.”

Zilisch has proven he should be a Cup Series driver, but like many who have come before him, time will tell how quickly it takes him to swim in the deep end of the pool he’s being thrown into. Logano needed time and experience, and a second chance from a different team owner, before he became a champion. Busch was fast right from the start.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if it went either way for Zilisch.

“I’m friends with Zane [Smith] and Noah [Gragson] and they told me, ‘Dude, just wait until you’re fighting for a lucky dog or you’re 25th and you’re cheering that you finished top 20,'” Zilisch said. “You don’t understand until you get there. Every guy in the Cup series was a champion or a winner or was dominating at certain points of their career and you get to the Cup Series, and nobody dominates. There is no guy who’s clear ahead of the field. It’s just different, and it’s tough to understand. It sucks losing, but you learn how to lose.”