What forced NASCAR to take strict measures against Connor Zilisch at Watkins Glen

Connor Zilisch’s Niece Motorsports truck failed pre-race technical inspection not once, but twice for Friday’s NASCAR Truck Series race at Watkins Glen. As a result, Zilisch’s car chief was ejected, and it was announced that the team will not have pit selection for its upcoming race at Richmond.

Zilisch is not a full-timer in Trucks. He is under a development deal with Trackhouse Racing that allows him to run select races in NASCAR’s national series. The 19-year-old speedster competes in the CARS Tour, the Trans-Am Series, the IMSA Sportscar championship, and the Global MX-5 Cup as well.

What Zilisch has ahead of him is a triple duty. The driver has been tabbed to run the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup races over the weekend.

“In truck tech today at the Glen, Zilisch truck failed twice so the truck chief was ejected and they will lose pit selection for Richmond,” Bob Pockrass wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

In truck tech today at the Glen, Zilisch truck failed twice so the truck chief was ejected and they will lose pit selection for Richmond.

How will all that work out for Connor Zilisch, who, just in his maiden season in the Xfinity Series, has bagged the series-high (5) wins? Fans can watch the action unfold on FS1 (August 8, 5 pm ET) or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch goes out of his way to congratulate Connor Zilisch at Indianapolis

NASCAR Cup Series icon Kyle Busch never reaches out to other drivers to congratulate them when they win races. However, he made an exception for Connor Zilisch when the latter won the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Notably, it was Zilisch’s third win in a row. Speaking with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, Busch mentioned why he sent a message to Connor Zilisch.

“I did text Connor Zilisch and congratulated him on one of his wins. He’s a good kid, so I like him.”

Charlotte born driver is also vying for his first Xfinity Series championship. Thanks to his win at COTA back in March, the driver has his name corkscrewed in the playoffs.

The 19-year-old now sits at the top of the leaderboard with 772 points to his name. 22 races into the season, he owns 11 top-fives and 13 top-10s, besides his five victories at COTA, Pocono, Sonoma, Dover, and Indy.

Zilisch’s JR Motorsports teammate and reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier ranks second on that list, with the same points tally as Zilisch. He hasn’t won as many races, but just like Zilisch, Allgaier too flaunts 11 top-fives and 13 top-10 performances.