Trackhouse’s Justin Marks comments on Connor Zilisch injury calling him a “tough kid” as Kyle Larson fills in at Texas

JR Motorsports' Connor Zilisch will miss Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race due to a lower-back injury sustained during a last-lap wreck at Talladega.

Kyle Larson will replace the Trackhouse Racing developmental driver in the No. 88 Chevrolet at the Texas Motor Speedway. Following the announcement, Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks praised Connor Zilisch as a 'tough kid' on social media.

Zilisch was involved in a late overtime finish at the Talladega Superspeedway, where contact in the final corner of the last lap forced him into the barriers. Although he was initially cleared after the incident, subsequent medical evaluation led to a cautious decision to sit him out this weekend to aid his recovery.

While JR Motorsports announced about his unavailability, Trackhouse Racing also issued a statement on Instagram:

Team co-owner Justin Marks reposted Trackhouse Racing's statement with a strong message of confidence on Instagram story and wrote:

"Tough kid. Some R&R, and he'll be good to go."

Trackhouse owner Justin Marks's story about Connor Zilisch. Source: realmarksjustin (via Instagram)

Zilisch's last-lap crash occurred while he was contending for victory. Heading into the final stretch, Jesse Love made contact from behind as he moved to the low line to defend his lead. The aggressive move is typical in Talladega's high-speed draft battles.

The contact sent Zilisch spinning across the track and into the inside wall, triggering a hard impact, which ended his race. Although he could walk away from the crash, the force of the hit caused lingering back pain, which led to his withdrawal from Andy's Frozen Custard 300 in Texas after a medical follow-up.

The 18-year-old has been one of the standout names in the 2025 Xfinity Series season, capturing a win and sitting sixth in the standings with 299 points.

His rapid rise has been matched by Trackhouse Racing's endorsement. Zilisch is identified as a long-term Cup Series project for the organization and will feature in his second Cup race of the season at the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.

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Connor Zilisch gets playoffs waiver for missing the Xfinity race at Texas

Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill leads Connor Zilisch (88) and Jesse Love (2) at Talladega. Source: Imagn

In Connor Zilisch's absence, JR Motorsports has called on a trusted name to fill the seat, Kyle Larson.

The 2021 Cup Series champion and a former Xfinity Series winner at Texas, Larson will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend. After winning the Focused Health 250 at COTA earlier this year, Zilisch had qualified for the playoffs, but his absence from this weekend's race could have hampered that.

However, JR Motorsports had filed a waiver for him missing the Andy's Frozen Custard 300, which was granted by the governing body. The waiver was announced by JR Motorsports in an announcement on X:

NASCAR grants waivers for medical-related absences during the regular season races and will keep Zilisch eligible for the playoffs in his rookie Xfinity season.

Meanwhile, Larson’s entry adds a high-profile dimension to the Texas race weekend. Fans will get to see the Cup Series regular compete against Xfinity field regulars on one of the series' most unpredictable tracks in his third Xfinity start of the season.

The break will allow the rookie to recover without pressure, given that the series now heads into a two-week pause before resuming at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24. In an X post, Connor Zilisch expressed his gratitude towards Larson for running for him in the NASCAR Xfinity race in Texas.