“Glad that one is over”: Connor Zilisch pens honest post-race apology for Niece Motorsports after challenging Watkins Glen Truck race

Connor Zilisch participated in his first truck race of the 2025 season at Watkins Glen, but had a topsy-turvy race, for which he apologized to Niece Motorsports. Kaden Honeycutt had made his way out of the car for the 19-year-old to take the No. 45 car, but had a dismal incident midway through the race.

The Trackhouse Racing development driver had started 14th and ran inside the top-five in the early half of the race. However, just before the end of Stage 2, he collided with Jake Garcia, as his car was beached on gravel.

This saw him plummet down the field. But the teenager did not let go of his hopes as Zilisch moved up the road in the final stage to finish eighth on the road. Despite his recovery drive, he confessed that he was glad that the race came to an end, as he apologized to NM for scrubbing the No. 45 car.

"Glad that one is over. Sorry for wrecking every corner of that truck @NieceMotorsport . Couldn’t avoid the chaos. Didn’t quite go my way but still fought back to P8 and a solid points day for the 45 team. Excited for the rest of the weekend. No 🧹😢," he wrote on X.

Connor Zilisch

@ConnorZilisch

Glad that one is over. Sorry for wrecking every corner of that truck @NieceMotorsport. Couldn’t avoid the chaos. Didn’t quite go my way but still fought back to P8 and a solid points day for the 45 team. Excited for the rest of the weekend. No 🧹😢

Connor Zilisch will continue competing at Watkins Glen this weekend as he is set to take on the Xfinity Series and Cup Series races around the 2.454-mile track.

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Connor Zilisch reflects on racing in all three NASCAR series at Watkins Glen International

Connor Zilisch at the qualifying for the Iowa Speedway race Xfinity Series - Source: Imagn

Connor Zilisch has taken up the daunting task of managing the Watkins Glen race weekend with three different racecars underneath him. While the Truck series race ended with a top-10 finish, the stakes will be seemingly higher as the weekend progresses.

The Charlotte-born driver competes regularly in the Xfinity Series with JRM and will be back at it again after a string of impressive finishes in the past few months. On the other hand, he will get hold of the No. 87 Red Bull Chevy with Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series.

Reflecting on this massive opportunity, the 19-year-old said (via Niece Motorsports):

"Watkins Glen is a track that I really like. It’s going to be a busy weekend for me running all three series, but I’m excited to get the track time on Friday and get to race in the Truck Series. I’m looking forward to having the chance to get the No. 45 team some more owner points to help lock them into the Playoffs."

"I’m also thankful to everyone at Chevrolet, Trackhouse, and JRM for allowing me to do this,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zilisch sits atop the regular season standings in the Xfinity sphere, but has his teammate Justin Allgaier tied with him on points heading into Watkins Glen.