NASCAR star Connor Zilisch has admitted it was extremely tough to miss out on the chance to take his first Cup Series victory through no fault of his own.
Zilisch was officially classified as 37th at San Diego on Sunday, but it does not tell the full story at all.
The Trackhouse Racing rookie led for eight laps at the Naval Base Coronado and showed enough speed that he surely would have been in contention at the sharp end of the order, but on lap 32, it was race over.
Competing at the front on a restart, Austin Hill slid into the side of Zilisch's car into turn one, slamming him into the wall. Given the nature of the circuit and that cars were coming in fast, several others were caught up in the resulting wreck, including another contender for the win and Trackhouse teammate Shane van Gisbergen.
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Connor Zilisch: Extremely tough to miss out on San Diego victory
“It’s just unfortunate to end the day like that for both Red Bull Chevrolets with Shane [Van Gisbergen] and I," Zilisch said after his race-ending wreck.
"We had a really fast car today. We got out front and it felt really good, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
"I had a lot of fun leading my first career Cup Series laps. Just super proud of this entire No. 88 team, but hate to see the day end this short.
"When you have a chance to go win a race and you’re in a prime spot to do so, but get put in a position like that, it’s extremely tough.
"It’s been a big weekend for all of us at Trackhouse Racing and Red Bull, and I just hate that both cars get taken out like that. We’ll put our heads down, put this weekend behind us and move onto the next (at Sonoma Raceway).”
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Tough rookie year continues for Zilisch
Despite the speed, Zilisch's actual result continues a trend of bad finishes for the 19-year-old, who has only finished above 37th once in the last five races - a P23 at Pocono.
Expectations were high after a record-breaking O'Reilly Series campaign in 2025, but through the opening 17 races, Zilisch's best finish is only 14th after a difficult year for both the driver and his team.
As a result, the Trackhouse star sits 34th in the Cup Series standings heading to Sonoma, with Cody Ware the only full-time driver to score fewer points than him so far this season.
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