On the 113th and final lap of the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega on April 26th, Connor Zilisch was spun from the league on incidental contact by his good friend Jesse Love.
In the spin, Zilisch lost control and hit the inside wall head on. He was soon after complaining to his team over the radio about lower back pain. The 18 year old driver of the JRM/Trackhouse #88 Chevrolet WeatherTech Machine in the NASCAR Xfinity Series was initially cleared by physical and X-Ray at the Talladega Superspeedway Infield Care Center. It appeared as if the driver had the green flag for Texas Motor Speedway.
In a media scrum following his release from the care center Connor Zilisch indicated that he planned on seeking a second opinion early this week to double check the status.
On Wednesday, it was announced by Trackhouse on social media that Connor Zilisch would be giving up his seat for the weekend while still dealing with a back injury from the collision with the wall at Talladega.
In his place this coming Saturday will be 2021 Cup Series Champion and 16 time Xfinity Series Winner, Kyle Larson.
Larson who has had great success in his career at Texas Motor Speedway has already won this season in the Xfinity Series at Bristol in a weekend where he finished 2nd in the Craftsman Truck Series, 1st in the Xfinity Series, and 1st in the Cup Series leading over 400 laps on Sunday alone.
The move is one the sponsors of the #88 team which include WeatherTech and RedBull are sure to be happy with. This week’s car includes a one-off primary scheme for Blues Hog BBQ.
Upon announcement of the driver change, Sportsbooks pulled odds off-site for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300. Upon release of the updated odds for the race, Larson and the 88 are a heavy favorite sitting around -150.
The Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 from Texas Motor Speedway will kick off this Saturday at 1 p.m. local time on the Gulf Coast CW.
