A lesson to be learned for @ConnorZilisch in the first turn. ? pic.twitter.com/ccQDcoBGvn
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) March 23, 2024
Connor Zilisch was nearly flawless Friday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas as he marched to his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole position in his debut start. However, things didn’t go quite as smooth at the start of Saturday’s XPEL 225 at COTA.
After taking the green flag, Zilisch found himself in a three-wide battle with Tanner and Taylor Gray heading into the first turn of the race. As he attempted to slow for Turn 1, it appeared that Zilisch locked up his brakes, and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado skidded straight out of the groove.
Zilisch would take his truck to pit road under caution at Lap 4, where his team would assess what seemed like a broken sway bar, which may have occurred when his truck dropped under hard braking in Turn 1 on Lap 1. At Lap 8, Zilisch sits 33rd, a lap off the pace.
