Connor Zilisch's NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of The Americas ended prematurely following a collision with teammate Daniel Suarez early in the final stage.

The 18-year-old driver, who started 14th, faced early adversity when he collided with Michael McDowell in Turn 1 while avoiding Chase Elliott's spin. Despite receiving a flat tire, Zilisch demonstrated impressive recovery, advancing from 31st position after the first stage to 14th by the final stage.

The race-ending incident occurred on lap 50 when Suarez clipped a curb in Turn 19, spinning across the track and into Zilisch's path. The collision sent Zilisch into the tire barriers, resulting in a 37th-place finish.

"We had a really fast Red Bull Chevrolet," Zilisch said. "That second stage, driving from outside the top 30 to 14th, was a lot of fun. I was passing a lot of guys that I used to watch on TV growing up."

Suarez explained the incident: "I just hit the curb, hit the ground and then it spun me out. When you have low air pressure, that's very easy to do because the car is lower to the ground."

The early exit came just one day after Zilisch's victory in the Xfinity Series race. While Trackhouse Racing hasn't announced additional Cup Series plans for Zilisch, the young driver's performance showed promise despite the unfortunate conclusion.

"It's a really unfortunate way to end my Cup Series debut," Zilisch reflected. "We were one of the top five fastest cars in the second stage there. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying."

Related Articles

Previous Articles