Connor Zilisch was involved in a violent head-on impact on the final lap of last Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway. Zilisch was leading the field when he got turned trying to block a run from Jesse Love, crashing heavily into the inside wall. He was later checked and released from the infield care center.
After the race, he said: "That was one of the wrecks when you move the legs and make sure everything feels okay afterwards. Very grateful to drive safe JR Motorsports race cars. We were in the right spot. I haven't really watched it close enough to see what happened, but grateful to be up and walking."
However, that same crash is now forcing him to skip the upcoming Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway. Two off-weekends will follow this weekend's race, giving him plenty of time to recover. However, there are no details regarding the nature of the injury.
A statement from Trackhouse read as follows: "Connor Zilisch will miss Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway due to lower back injuries sustained at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The Trackhouse Racing development driver plans to return to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet as soon as possible."
While Zilisch will surely be granted a medical waiver that will allow him to keep his playoff eligibility, this will still hurt him in the regular season standings. Zilisch was set to enter Texas sixth overall with just 23 points separating him and 12th-place driver, Harrison Burton.
Kyle Larson will replace Zilisch behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Larson has two previous starts this year in the Xfinity Series, both with Hendrick Motorsports. He won at Bristol Motor Speedway and has 16 career wins in NASCAR's second-tier division. He drove the No. 88 for JRM once before, competing at Watkins Glen in 2022 where he was victorious.
"Thank you to Kyle Larson for stepping up for me this weekend and everyone who has helped me through this process," said Zilisch in a social media post. Doing everything I can to be back as soon as possible."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., the co-owner at JRM, reacted to the news as well: "It sucks to see Connor have to sit out but I'm thankful he is being smart and patient with this injury. He'll be back in the seat and back at the front of the field soon enough."
