Connor Zilisch to miss Saturday's Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway
Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch, one of NASCAR's top rising stars, will miss Saturday's race at Texas Motor Speedway due to lower back injuries from a hard crash during last week's race.
The 18-year-old was leading on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway when contact from Jesse Love turned Zilisch, causing him to spin and crash into the inside retaining wall. Zilisch impacted the wall so forcefully that all four wheels lifted off the ground.
Advertisement
Once his car stopped, Zilisch told his JR Motorsports team over the radio that he was in pain and his back hurt. He was able to get out of the car on his own without assistance and was taken to Talladega's infield care, where he was 'evaluated and released,' though he was observed walking gingerly.
'I'm all good, thankfully,' Zilisch said after leaving the care center. 'This is one of those wrecks where you just kind of tingle your toes and move your legs and make sure you're still good. It hurt, and I'll be sore, but very grateful to walk away.'
When asked about his back by The Athletic, Zilisch said: 'X-rays were all good. Just a big hit like that, everything compresses and you feel it. So, yeah, I'm all good.'
He went on to say he would be good to race at Texas but likely would visit a doctor mid-week 'to make sure everything's OK and get a final check.'
The extent of Zilisch's injuries was not disclosed Wednesday, nor was the timeline for his return. The Xfinity Series is off for the next two weeks, with its next race not until May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
With Zilisch sidelined, JRM named Kyle Larson to drive its No. 88 Chevrolet at Texas. Larson drives in NASCAR's premier Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, which has a tight affiliation with JRM, co-owned by former Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Zilisch is in his first full season in NASCAR's second-tier series, where he is the leading Rookie of the Year contender. He has one win and three top-10 finishes in 11 races and ranks fourth in laps led.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Ryan Blaney Breaks Down Real Reason For NASCAR's Disconnect With the Masses
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Ryan Blaney didn't hold himself back from admitting the disconnect between NASCAR and the masses, revealing that it lags behind sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, which fans are able to play and enjoy themselves. Blaney also pointed out that the lives of the drivers and who they are as people need to be showcased more often so people can connect with them at a personal level, rather than the drivers being featured for the sole purpose of promotion and advertising. NASCAR is reportedly struggling to connect with a younger audience, but Blaney believes the sport needs to be showcased more with a human element that fans can relate to. Speaking in an interview with RG, he said: William Byron, driver of the #24 Raptor Chevrolet, and Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on... William Byron, driver of the #24 Raptor Chevrolet, and Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. More"How can you make the drivers more personable? How do you increase their stardom, and it starts with not only showing the product on the track, it's also showing these people and these athletes and things like that. "I've always said NASCAR is hard to relate to people, to the mass population, because unfortunately unlike football, basketball [or] baseball, you can't go to a park and play it [race] like everybody can do. "You can't just go have a car and go to the racetrack. It's different, it takes a lot of time and money to do it, so people don't have that connection of, 'Oh yeah, I played that sport as a kid, so I really enjoy it now as an adult.' "Watching racing is hard to do, so how do you do it in a certain way to where you just get people interested if maybe they haven't driven before, and how do you describe it in a way that they can relate to it?" The 31-year-old driver believes shows like Netflix's docuseries, 'NASCAR: Full Speed,' could open up the sport to the younger audience. He said: "I think that's neat for people to see, kind of that aspect of it. It's really important to do those things, to showcase more info about your sport. No matter what sport it is, how do you draw people that maybe don't watch your sport? How do you draw them in? "I've had a lot of people since that first season say, 'Hey you know we watched the Netflix show and we didn't really know much about racing, but we really enjoyed the people in it and this is our first race.'" The 2023 NASCAR champion often comes across as a relaxed personality. However, he admitted that he is the opposite when he puts on his crash helmet, a contrast well captured by the Netflix docuseries. Blaney said: "You're going to be fiery, you're going to be passionate about what you do. But then you take off the helmet, you're just kind of a normal person. You can have a completely different attitude or mentality. I'm that way. I'm a freaking tyrant when I put the helmet on, but that's just how I am, and I'm a competitive person."
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Delivers Brutal Reality Check for Denny Hamlin
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed a startling statistic about NASCAR drivers with the most wins after 700 race starts. While several renowned names have more than five wins to their names, Denny Hamlin's single win comes as a brutal reality check for many. Aged 44, and with 57 race wins, Hamlin has yet to win a NASCAR championship. However, considering the approximate number of years he might continue racing, Dale Jr. estimated how many races Hamlin could realistically win before retiring. Though Hamlin recently secured his third victory of the season at Michigan last weekend, suggesting his top form, Dale Jr. offered a different perspective with the stats he found on social media. Revealing on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, he said: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan."I saw on social media that I was like, damn, that's a cool stat. After 700 starts, Jeff Gordon won six races. After 700 starts, Harvick won seven. Those are big names. Take Richard Petty off the list because he won 22 after 700 starts, but he was 38 or 39 when he made his 700 starts. So hell, you know, take him off the list. "At the top of this list—most wins after 700 starts—it's Harvick with seven, Jeff Gordon with six, and then it's like threes and twos and ones. Denny just won, so he's got one after 700. "How many more does he win before that race at Michigan? I thought the over/under was six. The line was six wins. Like, could you imagine going into Michigan thinking Denny Hamlin's going to win only six races the rest of his life at the Cup level? "That's crazy. But that's what the odds would say. Now, he's maybe moved that line to maybe eight or nine wins—maybe 10 wins, I guess, since he won this weekend. How many years do you think he races to win?" The point prompted Dale Jr. to admit that Hamlin might be having a NASCAR retirement plan in mind, but hinted that it won't be easy taking the big step. He added: "The guy may be looking at two years, but if he still wins three races, is he really going to retire if he's still winning? You don't think he'll be lured to go drive for his own team for a little while? "I think he has a plan in his mind when he thinks he's going to retire, but I think that he's going to find out when he gets to that doorstep, it's going to be harder to do than he thinks." Hamlin admitted back in April that he has a retirement plan on his mind, but didn't reveal the timeline. However, he confirmed that he will race for his own team, 23XI Racing, and retire from NASCAR in a phased manner.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
NASCAR odds for the Cup Series race in Mexico City in June 2025
NASCAR odds for the Cup Series race in Mexico City in June 2025 The NASCAR Cup Series is ready to compete in the Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City during the 18th race weekend of the 2025 season. This is NASCAR's first race in Mexico City since the Xfinity Series last competed in the country in 2008. NASCAR has been pushing for a new international race weekend after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the Truck Series' trip to Canada. Now, the sport has a date set with Mexico City as the drivers prepare to compete at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which is primarily used by Formula 1. Below, you can check out the NASCAR odds via BetMGM for the 2025 Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City as of Saturday, June 14! NASCAR odds for the Cup Series race at Mexico City (June 2025) Shane van Gisbergen: +325 Christopher Bell: +700 Chase Elliott: +700 Kyle Larson: +900 William Byron: +900 Tyler Reddick: +1000 Ross Chastain: +1000 Ty Gibbs: +1000 Chris Buescher: +1200 Michael McDowell: +1200 Austin Cindric: +1600 Kyle Busch: +1600 A.J. Allmendinger: +1800 Daniel Suarez: +2000 Chase Briscoe: +2000 Ryan Blaney: +2500 Joey Logano: +3000 Todd Gilliland: +3000 Carson Hocevar: +3000 Alex Bowman: +4000 Ryan Preece: +5000 Josh Berry: +15000 Zane Smith: +20000 Bubba Wallace: +20000 Noah Gragson: +20000 Brad Keselowski: +20000 Cole Custer: +20000 Erik Jones: +25000 Justin Haley: +25000 Ryan Truex: +25000 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +35000 Riley Herbst: +50000 Austin Dillon: +50000 John Hunter Nemechek: +100000 Ty Dillon: +100000 Cody Ware: +100000 Katherine Legge: +100000 More: Denny Hamlin to miss Mexico City, Ryan Truex will drive No. 11 car
