Eighteen-year-old rising star Connor Zilisch will not compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway after suffering lower back injuries in a violent last-lap crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
Zilisch, a development driver for Trackhouse Racing, was contending for the win when contact on the backstretch caused his car to spin and slam head-on into the inside wall. Despite walking away from the incident, the injuries he sustained will sideline him this weekend.
Trackhouse confirmed on Wednesday that Zilisch will return to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet as soon as he’s medically cleared but did not provide further specifics about his condition.
Filling in for Zilisch at Texas will be Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. The Xfinity Series will then take a two-week break before resuming May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Zilisch has had an impressive start to his Xfinity career, winning in his debut last September at Watkins Glen and adding a second victory earlier this season at Circuit of The Americas—the same weekend he made his Cup Series debut. Through 15 starts, he’s earned six top-10 finishes and currently sits sixth in the Xfinity Series standings.