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Ahead of the 2025 NASCAR awards, Connor Zilisch opened up on post-race messages from Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin after his Xfinity championship defeat. The JR Motorsports driver lost his chance to take home the coveted trophy at the hands of his close friend, Jesse Love.Zilisch, the 19-year-old Chevy driver, was undoubtedly the most dominant driver throughout his rookie campaign in NASCAR's second-tier division. He secured 10 wins and 18 consecutive top-fives for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization. However, lost his championship bid in the Phoenix finale after losing to Richard Childress Racing driver Love in the winner-takes-all race on Saturday (November 1).Reflecting on the same, Connor Zilisch shared how comforting messages from NASCAR's bests Larson and Hamlin helped ease his championship heartbreak. In a conversation with the media, he said: (via NASCAR.com)"Kyle Larson texted me (Saturday). And he just said, 'This isn’t going to change your career. I know it sucks.'nAnd you know, he wrote me a nice message. Denny texted me that night, kind of similar. So yeah, I mean, there was a few people that reached out that it means a lot to hear from. Everybody I saw was really nice to me all weekend long. And it helps to have people who let you know that you still succeeded.""But at the end of the day, the emotion is still the same. But yeah, it’s good to have that kind of peace of mind that people still believe in me and that that wasn’t really a life-changing moment for me," concluded Zilisch.Nevertheless, Connor Zilisch will now embark on bigger things as he is set to run full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing next season. As the Charlotte native has previously shared his wishes to run in the Memorial Day Double like his idols and HMS star Larson. His boss, Justin Marks, thinks otherwise.Trackhouse boss says he "doesn't want" Connor Zilisch to attend the Memorial Day Double like Kyle LarsonNASCAR Xfinity Series Championship - Source: GettyAs Connor Zilisch prepares for his rookie NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks shed light on the young sensation's chances of competing in the Double, that is, running the Indy 500 followed by the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.Speaking about this, Marks pointed out Kyle Larson's infamous two Double attempts, where the two-time champion failed to complete the racing world's iconic races. He said (via Sports Business Journal):“Watching Larson go through that — it’s dramatic and it’s risky and it can be a little uncomfortable with the timing and all that kind of stuff, so if we decide to do something like that, Connor would certainly be at the top of our list. But to do that we have to do it the right way, and I certainly don’t want to do it his rookie year."So far, five drivers have attempted the 1100-mile races. John Andretti was the first one, followed by Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson. If Connor Zilisch manages to attempt the iconic race and complete both events, he will be the second driver to do so after NASCAR legend Stewart in 2001.
