Connor Zilisch Confirmed in Cadillac Whelen GTP Entry for 2026 Rolex 24

Connor Zilisch has been officially confirmed as part of the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R for the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona. He’ll join the previously announced trio of Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti to kick off the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

“I’m excited to be with Action Express Racing for the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” Zilisch said. “The Rolex 24 is one of my favorite races and I’m thrilled to be with one of the best teams in the IMSA paddock. I’m very thankful to everyone at GM and Cadillac Racing for their help in making this happen. This is such a cool opportunity. We had a solid test in November at Daytona. I really enjoyed working with all the guys on the Whelen team and can’t wait to get back there for the race.” 

He’ll make his third straight Rolex 24 start in as many classes. In 2024, he premiered in the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and won on debut. Last January, he was part of an all-star No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO).

He tested the Cadillac GTP car for the first time at the IMSA-sanctioned November test at Daytona International Speedway. Meeting with media in-between sessions, Zilisch explained how well he adapted to the new car.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Very different, but at the same time similar to things I've driven in the past. It's kind of a mixture between the LMP2 car and the Corvette GT3 that I drove this year. A little heavier than the P2. More power, really cool. A lot of new controls and things that I have to learn, and it was a lot of fun getting to feel it out and just run a lot of laps.”

Zilisch has Daytona road course experience dating to his time in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin.

“The first time I came to Daytona racing was in MX-5 Cup,” he said. “And I've loved it ever since, and just being able to race in the 24 hours is something that I dreamed of as a kid and that's why I always come back and keep doing it. And, you know, it's my third time doing it and my third different car that that I've done it in. I'm just excited for the opportunity to even be here today and get this chance to test the car. It's been such a dream of mine to get to drive in the highest class of IMSA and doing that today has been really cool.”

The 19-year-old won 10 races and finished second in his first full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 (soon to be renamed O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026) and will graduate full-time into the NASCAR Cup Series ranks next year.