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Trackhouse Racing’s 17-year-old driver entered his first Truck Series race at the XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas as barely the favorite. As the race kicked off from green, Connor Zilisch led the field for the first time ever, alongside Tricon Garage’s #11 Corey Heim, winner of Stage 2. 

Zilisch’s debut performance was marred on the first lap as he missed optimum braking on turn one and fell to the back of the pack. Nevertheless, Zilisch emerged as the fastest driver on the Texas track on Stage 1, after being given a free pass for the lead lap.

Connor Zilisch Facing Truck Series “Hell” in Austin

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In a race that saw cautions thrown “left and right” for the absence of apparent track limits, Zilisch seemed to suffer the most straight from the start. In Stage 2 his troubles escalated after making up for a lot of time, placing himself almost within the top 10. This time, contact with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum lay waste over the 17-year-old’s mid-race resurgence.

Fans noticed the “hell” Zilisch faced on his Truck Series debut, as he was later also handed a “pass-through for cutting the esses,” according to updates from Bob Pokcrass of FOX. Bobby Skinner of the Talking Giants podcast was the first to observe when he replied, “The man is in hell”. Many others joined in to sympathize for the young pole-winner but this comment stood out from the rest, albeit stating the obvious: “it’s only his first start and bro has experienced everything…”

 

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Twitter user @SlushyMist made a prophetic observation while making the eerie statement: “Holy heck he’s gonna have all this against him and still find a way to win,” as the Spire #7 Silverado went on to pick up integral stage points landing himself a neat P6 finish in Stage 2. However, with fresher tires in Stage 3 and minimal problems, one fan made it all clear. Connor Zilisch “is having a day. Not a good day, but a day.” 

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The youngster has managed the excessive transmissions and demanding suspension throughout the 20 turns on Saturday. He sure did put up a great performance. 

Read More: Kyle Larson “Dissappointed” in Connor Zilisch as He Drops a Warning for Truck Stars at COTA