A few months ago, Connor Zilisch looked like the sort of racing prodigy who might eventually make the rest of the NASCAR garage wonder why they bothered showing up.
Now NASCAR is introducing him to one of its oldest traditions: public humiliation at 190 mph.
Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway was supposed to be another step in the education of the 19-year-old Trackhouse Racing prospect. Instead, it turned into a master class on how quickly stock car racing can take a young driver’s confidence, fold it into a paper airplane, and launch it into Lake Michigan.
The trouble started almost immediately.
On Lap 2, Zilisch’s No. 88 Chevrolet got away from him entering Turns 3 and 4. The car snapped loose, spun across the racing surface, and collected damage to the left rear. Nearby, Michigan native Erik Jones was forced into evasive action, scrubbing the wall while trying to avoid becoming an unwilling participant in Zilisch’s adventure.
If that wasn’t enough excitement for one afternoon, the restart delivered a sequel nobody ordered.
Just seven laps later, exiting Turn 2 on Lap 9, the No. 88 once again lost traction. Zilisch slid up the racetrack, spun, and this time the journey ended nose-first against the inside wall. His race was over almost before some fans had finished their first hot dog.
“We’re done,” Zilisch radioed. “Gosh, man! Oh my God.”
Indeed, they were.
The result marked an unfortunate hat trick: three consecutive DNFs caused by crashes and three straight last-place finishes.
For a driver who won 10 races across NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts development ranks in 2025, this recent stretch has felt less like a coronation and more like a very expensive lesson plan.
The trouble began at Charlotte, where Zilisch was swept into a crash with Austin Cindric during the Coca-Cola 600. A week later at Nashville, a brake rotor exploded and sent him into the wall after just 71 laps. Then came Michigan, where the walls didn’t need mechanical assistance to find him.
That’s the thing about NASCAR’s top levels. Talent gets you through the front gate. Everybody in the garage has talent. What separates the future stars from the names forgotten by history is what happens when everything goes wrong at once.
And right now, everything seems to be going wrong at once for Zilisch.
Still, the teenager sounded more disappointed than defeated after being checked and released from the infield care center.
“I was really loose, but yeah, it’s just unfortunate. Another short race for us,” Zilisch said. ” I was very loose and I just couldn’t save it. Just very frustrated. It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’ll keep our heads down and try to go get them at Pocono (Raceway) next weekend.”
Which is probably the correct attitude.
Because every great driver has a chapter in their story where they discover that speed is easy. Surviving the bad days is the hard part.
Connor Zilisch is currently living through that chapter. The good news is that he’s only 19. The bad news is NASCAR doesn’t care.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.