It was a night to forget for Connor Zilisch, whose NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Chicagoland Speedway unraveled in spectacular fashion after being involved in three separate incidents that ended any hopes of a strong finish.
Zilisch entered the Cuervo 300 as one of the favorites after earning the pole position when qualifying was canceled because of weather. Expectations were high for the JR Motorsports driver, but those hopes disappeared as his race became a battle for survival rather than victory.
The first setback came early when Zilisch won the first stage but ran out of fuel during the caution laps. This would send him to the middle of the pack on the restart that began stage 2.
Connor worked his way back through the field, getting back into the top 10, while also holding the fastest lap of the race. While in 6th, Zilisch would have yet another incident early into the final stage. This time he ran into the wall and got a flat tire.
Fast forward to around 40 laps to go, Zilisch again was battling through the field, but couldn’t escape the issues. The driver of the No. 1 would go for a spin and bring out another caution. Connor Zilisch would fall all the way back to 29th with 38 laps to go.
Connor Zilisch still finished 10th in Saturday night’s race.
Zilisch will have another shot at Chicagoland in the Cup Series tomorrow in hopes of starting some positive momentum for the 19 year-old.
