Lightning forced the cancellation of qualifying for Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. As a result, Zilisch and the No. 88 Chevrolet team of JR Motorsports were placed on the pole based off metrics.
However, coming off a broken collarbone suffered in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen that required surgery last week, Zilisch stuck to a pre-announced plan to drop to the rear and get out of the car ASAP during the race.
That moment came on Lap 14 when the caution was displayed for a light rain falling on the 2.5-mile trioval. The team had driver/broadcaster Parker Kligerman standing by for the switch, which they had already practiced several times.
It Sucked to Get Out
During an interview on pit road after the swap, Zilisch shared his thoughts and emotions after watching his car drive away without him behind the wheel.
“It’s not worth it to put myself in danger and having a big wreck and re-injuring something that is still freshly injured,” he shared. “I’m glad to hand the car over to Parker, there’s not many guys I’d rather have than him.
“It sucks to get out of a car I know that’s capable of winning a race. But, I have confidence in Parker that he’ll do a great job.”
Zilisch came into Daytona with six wins this season and the points leader. Because the team had gone over the risk vs reward scenarios leading up to Daytona, Zilisch was somewhat mentally prepared for the mid-race driver swap.
“Earlier this week, I was thinking how I wasn’t going to be good enough and then today came. Every day I was starting to feel better and I wish I could’ve stayed in, nobody pulled me out of it, but it’s all part of it. It shouldn’t be part of it, but I fell off my car, so it is part of it.
“I’m glad I have a team that sticks by me through it all and fortunate enough to have a car that’s really fast. I know Parker will have a lot of fun driving the car.”
Medical Clearance was Granted
The surgery to repair Zilisch’s collarbone last week involved utilizing a plate and screws. After a week of healing, both his doctors and NASCAR had granted a full return for him to compete at Daytona.
JRM released a statement on Thursday about its driver, and the back-up plan.
“Connor Zilisch will return behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet this Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
“Parker Kligerman will be on standby if needed”
On race day, he was needed.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Talks about Forward Thinking with Zilisch Decision
Once the driver exchange was successfully made, JRM owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. shared why the change was discussed, then utilized.
“It’s kind of strange, to be honest with you because he’s so mature for his age (19),” Earnhardt said to The CW Network at the No. 88 pit box. “You kind of have to hold him back a little bit in these types of situations. We want to race for a Championship, but we can’t risk the next two decades of what he could possibly do behind the wheel of a race car.
“That’s not worth it, so we will do whatever we need to do before handing him off to his next opportunity in a good place. He’s already exceeded expectations for us this year and helped us to have a really exciting and awesome year.
“We wanted to make all the right decisions that were good for his career long term, and make sure he understands to prioritize today versus the next 20 years.”
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