“Anything can happen at Talladega. It’s definitely an unpredictable place.” Justin Allgaier’s cautionary words ahead of Saturday’s words had an eerie sense of accuracy. The Alabama track is a 2.66-mile behemoth, being the largest oval track on NASCAR’s schedule. Talladega Superspeedway has seen chaos unfold over several decades, as the ‘Big Ones’ became a norm since restrictor plate racing debuted in the 1980s. Keeping the trend alive, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s rookie racer fell prey to the track’s ravages.
Connor Zilisch is the young prodigy creating waves in the sport at present. He won his debut Xfinity Series race last year as a part-time driver. This season as well, the No. 88 Chevrolet driver is oozing gold as a full-timer. But he has a fair share of chaos as well, partly due to the antics of his teammate.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s star bows his head in guilt
Well, essentially, Connor Zilisch faced a mishap wrought by his best friend. That was Jesse Love, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet at Richard Childress Racing. Love dominated on Saturday, having won the pole, led for 50 laps, and won the first stage. In the end, though, JR Motorsports drivers were on the move. Towards the end of the race, Zilisch took over the lead from Allgaier with a full-blown drive to win. He was a half-lap away from snatching the victory when disaster struck. Love made a miscalculated move to take the top lane and spun around the 88 car – it slammed the wall with such an impact that both rear tires lifted off the ground. As it turned out, there was more to this story as his teammate confessed.
Justin Allgaier ended up clinching 4th place, but in a post-race interview, he looked guilty. He had engaged in an incredible six-lap sequence with Zilisch before the latter took the lead. And Allgaier believes that he had a hand in causing the youngster’s downfall: “I was really kind of kicking myself, I was mad at myself. After the restart, we had a great launch there, working really well with my teammate, Carson Kvapil. Matt DiBenedetto was doing a great job, pushing as well. Just trying to make sure I stay connected with the 99. I really needed a pusher today. Unfortunately, that ended up putting the one in the middle. I’m mad at myself for it, then I spent the last four laps or whatever it was. Just kind of frustrated at myself about how that went. Obviously, that let some things transpire.”
Connor Zilisch was heard complaining of a searing back pain immediately after the wreck. Track officials had to help him to the infield care center. He turned out okay in the end. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s veteran racer continued, “I don’t know what happened at the end there. You know, it’s just hard racing, you’re trying to block the lanes and do all you can. Ultimately, Connor is at the tough end of that recipient. I haven’t really heard an update on him, so I’m hoping that he’s okay and everything’s good there, regardless of the finish – that’s first and foremost…Whether it’s a competitor, a teammate, it doesn’t really matter. You want to see that everybody is okay.”
Connor Zilisch clearly did not have a great day, whether it was spurred by his teammate or not. Strangely, Justin Allgaier faced a similar fate during the last Talladega race.
Another high-impact wreck set things haywire
Well, Connor Zilisch had one target set before heading out to ‘Dega. “My goal is to survive and make it to the end of the race in our WeatherTech Chevrolet.” That is because Zilisch has yet to properly finish a superspeedway race. But his concerns were also due to the ill fate of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s drivers. Last year, during the Xfinity Series playoff race at Talladega, Justin Allgaier slammed head-first into disaster. With three laps to go at the United Rentals 250, the JRM cars of Carson Kvapil and Brandon Jones made contact entering turn 1. Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevy was caught up in this melee, ramming into the outside wall first and remaining up high as the field crashed around him.
That wreck marked Justin Allgaier’s latest in a three-race streak of posting 30th or worse finishes. Allgaier talked about his misfortune last year in October, feeling bad for his team. “The speed’s there every week. The No. 7 guys don’t deserve to have the crap that’s happened over the last month that we’ve had happen. I just feel bad for them.” He added, “At the end of the day, I want to win for them, I want to run good for them. I really don’t care if I win for myself. They put the effort in, they put the work in.” Despite this dismal streak, Allgaier went on to clinch the 2024 Xfinity Series championship.
Who knows, maybe such a solid outcome is also awaiting Connor Zilisch in 2025? The rookie is simply wading through the mandatory disasters that are part of the process. Let us wait and see what Dale Earnhardt Jr’s drivers can conjure.
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