Connor Zilisch made his ardent debut in Nascar series.
Literally.
The impressive 18-year-old weekend on the Americas circuit ended early when he could not avoid a rotation by the teammate of the Trackhouse Daniel Suarez races at the start of the last stage on Sunday.
The collision sent Zilisch hard to the tire barrier and the car caught fire as it was riding.
It was a frustrating end for an otherwise impressive race for a young person who hopes to become the youngest winner in the history of the series of cups. He started the 14th, returned after early contact with another car and fell towards the top 15 before the Ilate.
“You made an incredible boyfriend,” said team leader Darian Grubb in Zilisch on the team’s radio. “You haven’t done anything wrong today. You have done an incredible job going up there.”
The accident was spoiled, but Zilisch was not about to let him spoil the overall experience of his race weekend. Zilisch won the Xfinity race on Saturday and was among the chiefs of the Cup series.
“His race job is really good for his age,” said Shane Van Gisbergen de Trackhouse before the race.
Zilisch had stayed in Sunday breedHe could have had a chance to put pressure for the victory.
“We had a very fast Chevrolet Red Bull,” said Zilisch. “I had so much pleasure in preparing this event. It was very fun to spend a lot of guys that I was watching on television growing up.”
Zilisch was considered a future star. He won 16 races in seven different series since 2024, including a class victory at Rolex 24 in Daytona last year.
His victory for the Xfinity series on Saturday was his second in this series. He started on the post and was forced to rear due to a standard track penalty. Then he dominated the field when he returned to the front for the victory.
Zilisch is a development engine for Trackhouse. The team has not announced when it is running again in the Cup series.
“I hope I will have another chance to start again,” said Zilisch. “I had an absolute explosion crossing the field.”
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