Connor Zilisch's NASCAR Cup debut ends early after crashing into teammate Daniel Suarez
Trackhouse Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Connor Zilisch were involved in a crash Sunday in the final stage of the NASCAR COTA race in Austin, Texas.
In his NASCAR Cup Series debut, Zilisch, 18, slammed his No. 88 Chevrolet into Suarez after Suarez spun out in the No. 99 Chevrolet.
The crash took Suarez and Zilisch out of the race.
Zilisch struggled early, moved toward the front in Stage 2, and appeared headed for a strong finish before running into Suarez.
Zilisch was checked and released from the infield care center.
"I've had so much fun preparing for this event," said Zilisch, a North Carolina native. "That second stage driving from outside the top 30 to 14th was a lot of fun passing a lot of guys I used to watch on TV growing up. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to come back and do this again. I had an absolute blast driving through the field and just wish it didn't end early."
It appeared Zilisch's view was blocked by smoke coming from Suarez's car, which made it difficult for him to avoid the collision.
Suarez was checked and released from the infield care center.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Connor Zilisch Cup debut ends early after crashing into Daniel Suarez
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