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Connor Zilisch expressed his frustration on serving a pass-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, at the Las Vegas Xfinity race on Saturday, March 15. The Dale Jr.-owned JR Motorsports(JRM) driver, believed he had a good position at the start with a car that was in contention, before suffering the setback.
Starting from third on the grid, Connor Zilisch in the #88 Chevrolet led for 27 laps and posted the fastest lap of the race at 178.418mph. Zilisch was running in the top five when he was caught speeding during his final pitstop on lap 146, all while under green flag conditions.
After falling to the back of the lead lap under the penalty, Zilisch made a strong recovery to finish ninth.
In a post-race interview, Zilisch commented on the misfortune and said,
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"I definitely had a shot at it and that's why it's so frustrating. I didn't even think I sped, i thought I was under my lights and just taking it easy. We were really good for the first fifteen laps of a run and then we start to get a little bit tight but we had such a good car today. I honestly was making too many mistakes out front." (Via Frontstretch) (0:15 onwards)
Connor Zilisch ranks 9th after the Las Vegas race with 133 points, 23 points behind his JRM teammate Sammy Smith. Zilisch previously won the Circuit of The Americas(COTA), securing one of two victories for the Dale Jr. team so far.
"I don't want to rush myself": Connor Zilisch on his future in the NASCAR Cup series
18 year old prodigy Connor Zilisch expressed his desire to pace himself when it comes to racing in the cup series after his debut at COTA on March 2. He further explained that he's eager for opportunities where he feels more prepared.
Zilisch recently appeared on Kevin Harwick's "Happy Hour" podcast, where he discussed his future plans to race in the NASCAR Cup series. Speaking on the same, he said,
"I don't want to rush myself at all, Iodon't want to go into races I don't feel like i can compete in, but when there are races I feel like I'll be ready for and I can atleast go out and not make a fool of myself, I definitely want to get that experience." (12:40 onwards)
Connor Zilsch entered the Cup series race at COTA for Trackhouse Racing as a development driver sponsored by Red Bull. He showcased competitive pace in the #87 Chevrolet, securing 14th position in qualifying. After an early contact that led to a pitstop, Zilisch lost places but fought his way back to 14th place. However, on lap 50, he collided with his spinning teammate, Daniel Suarez, resulting in a 37th place finish.
