Connor Zilisch is not running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas, his team, JR Motorsports, shared on the X platform on April 30.
Kyle Larson will fill in for Zilisch, who suffered a lower back injury in a last-lap crash at Talladega. Zilisch’s car hit the inside wall head-on after spinning from the lead.
“Kyle Larson will sub for Connor Zilisch behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as Zilisch continues to recover from a lower back injury sustained last weekend at Talladega,” the statement read.
It is unclear if JR Motorsports will file a waiver to keep Zilisch eligible for the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs. Since he is missing a race for a medical reason, he does not forfeit any playoff points but still needs to file a waiver to remain in the playoffs.
Connor Zilisch Talladega crash
Connor Zilisch crashed from the lead after Jesse Love got a push from eventual race winner Austin Hill going down the backstretch at Talladega.
Here’s the crash on the last lap of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Talladega race:
Kyle Larson championship
Kyle Larson won the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship. He did not win a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship but only ran in that series full time for one season.
Kyle Larson wins
Kyle Larson has 31 NASCAR Cup Series wins in his career. Larson has 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, including one in 2025 at Bristol.
NASCAR playoffs waiver rule
NASCAR clarified the playoff eligibility rules after, ironically, Kyle Larson was granted a waiver into the playoffs after missing last year’s Coca-Cola 600 to run in the Indy 500. The races overlapped due to weather in Indianapolis before rain in Charlotte cut the Coca-Cola 600 short.
Here’s the rule as NASCAR wrote it prior to the beginning of the season:
“If competition officials grant a waiver for playoff eligibility, in some circumstances that driver will forfeit any playoff points accumulated in the regular season. Such a driver would start the playoffs with a baseline maximum of 2,000 points in the reset standings. Playoff points would be forfeited if a waiver is granted after a suspension or if a driver chooses to skip a race. Playoff points would not be forfeited in the event of a medical absence, missing a race for the birth of a child or a family emergency, or if age restrictions prevent a driver from racing a full season.”
Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at achastain@gannett.com.
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