One of NASCAR’s brightest young stars, Connor Zilisch, is sitting on the sidelines this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as he recovers from injuries sustained in a last-lap crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
A statement from JR Motorsports on Wednesday ruled the 18-year-old driver out of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, with the team simultaneously announcing that NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson would drive the No. 88 Chevrolet.
In the meantime, Zilisch has been granted a post-season waiver by NASCAR.
Despite the injury, the Mooresville, North Carolina-native is at the racetrack this weekend with his JR Motorsports team, and spoke to members of the media about his recovery and his timetable for return.
“I feel okay. A lot of what I’m doing is not up to me, I listen to all of the doctors around me, but also the people around me that not only have racing experience, but life experience,” said Zilisch. “I’ve got a lot ahead of me, and to rush back into something after a crash like that would be silly.”
“We’re just taking our time with the recovery process, taking it one day at a time, and I’m feeling better every day. Thankful for everybody who has been there for me and been willing to give me unbiased answers throughout the process.”
While Zilisch didn’t disclose the exact nature of his injury, the young phenom said “there’s no crazy big injury that is going to hold [him] for months, it’s going to be day by day.”
Following this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have back-to-back off weekends, as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas and North Wilkesboro.
The second-tier series then returns to action on Memorial Day Weekend, where Zilisch is not only scheduled to run Saturday’s 300-miler, but also in the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.
At this time, it’s unknown whether Zilisch will be cleared to compete in either event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
However, the focus for Zilisch still remains on this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, as he attempts to learn everything he possibly can from Kyle Larson.
“I’m excited to watch my team and cheer them on this weekend,” Zilisch added. “It’s tough missing a race and watching my racecar getting driven by another driver, but I’m super excited to learn from Kyle and see what he has to say, and it’s gonna make our team better.”
In fact, Zilisch isn’t even worried about Larson claiming a victory in his car on Saturday, saying that it “wouldn’t be a hit on me because Kyle Larson winning a race isn’t a shock”.
A win Saturday for the Blues Hog Chevrolet wouldn’t just be a triumph for Kyle Larson and JR Motorsports, but also the team that Zilisch has helped build this season.
