CUP: Connor Zilisch’s career-best finish in Sonoma followed by crushing opening-lap crash in Chicagoland
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
SCREENSHOT: TNT Sports
Connor Zilisch picked up the 6th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s eero 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway when his #88 Red Bull Chevrolet crashed without completing any of the 267 laps.
The finish, which came in Zilisch’s 22nd series start, was his fourth of the season and first since June 7, 2026 at Michigan, four races ago, when he completed a streak of three last-place finishes in a row. Zilisch has now finished last in four of the last seven Cup races. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 36th for the #88, the 711th from a crash, and the 890th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 61st for the #88, the 1,467th from a crash, and the 2,051st for Chevrolet.
Just last week in Sonoma, Zilisch ran the same paint scheme that crashed twice in the opening laps at Michigan, securing him a third consecutive last-place finish. In the two races since that unfortunate streak, he finished 23rd at Pocono, then at San Diego was battling Austin Hill for the lead on a restart before Hill accidentally stuffed him into the Turn 1 wall, triggering a wreck that collected both Zilisch and teammate Shane Van Gisbergen. But this time, Zilisch ran easily the best Cup race of his young career, climbing as high as 3rd before he finished 7th – his first career top-ten finish in the Cup Series. But Sonoma was the last road course race of the 2026 Cup Series season, the second half of which entirely filled by ovals.
For Chicagoland, Zilisch again ran the blue Red Bull scheme he last ran in San Diego. His was originally one of 39 drivers set to run the first Cup race at the track since 2019. But the list shrank by one when Garage 66 withdrew driver Josh Bilicki after the team was unable to secure sponsorship for his #66 Ford. Of the remaining 38 starters, Zilisch ranked 25th in opening practice with a best lap of 30.714 seconds (175.816 seconds), logging a total of 50 laps during the session. His excellent Sonoma performance bumped him to Group 2 in qualifying, where he’d be the 26th driver to take to the track. He qualified 21st with a lap of 30.632 seconds (176.286mph).
Securing the 38th and final starting spot was Michael McDowell, whose #71 Chevrolet failed inspection three times. This ejected McDowell’s car chief Travis Young, prevented McDowell from qualifying, incurred him a redundant tail-end penalty, and forced him to serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag. Also unable to complete a lap in qualifying was Cody Ware, whose #51 Chevrolet had an ECU failure during his qualifying lap, disabling power steering and causing Ware to slap the wall in Turn 2. Ware managed to keep the damage to a minimum, so the team wouldn’t incur any additional penalties.
When the green flag dropped, McDowell remained in the last spot, 3.168 seconds back of the lead, then got a big run to the outside of J.J. Yeley’s #44 Fanatics Casino Chevrolet, forcing a three-wide battle where Ware first inched ahead in his #51, then McDowell off the corner in the #71, dropping Yeley to last off Turn 2. The moment the pass was completed, trouble broke out ahead of them.
Further ahead, Zilisch took the green in 21st, holding the inside line behind the #1 Busch Light Flavor Showdown Chevrolet, which ran to the inside of Ryan Preece’s #60 Mariano’s / Athletic Brewing Ford. On the break into Turn 1, Chastain pulled to the inside of John Hunter Nemechek’s #42 Raid / Dollar Tree Toyota, forming a three-wide battle with Preece to their outside. Zilisch lined up behind Chastain on the inside as the field came up to speed through Turns 1 and 2. At corner exit, Nemechek was now being challenged to his outside by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., whose #47 Pylon Aviation Chevrolet had a fender on Nemechek’s right-rear. But Nemechek came up into Stenhouse, forcing Stenhouse into the wall. This caused Preece to check-up behind Stenhouse, only for Erik Jones’ #43 UChicago Medicine / AdventHealth Toyota to bump Preece. This turned Preece to the left, threatening to cross Zilisch’s path. Zilisch turned to the left, but ended up skating clear across the infield, where he struck the inside wall with the left-front corner.
“Hang on,” said Zilisch’s spotter, exasperated. “We’re destroyed,” said Zilisch. “I’m sorry, guys. Spun into me. Oh my goodness – can’t fucking get anything to go for me.” His team said it wasn’t his fault and discussed going to the “Damaged Vehicle Policy” Zone for repairs, but his car couldn’t turn. “Yeah, the wheel won’t turn – I have to get out.” Both Preece and Zilisch’s cars were towed to the garage area nose-first, Zilisch scored in 38th with Preece 37th, both losing laps to the leaders. On Lap 5, Zilich’s car was towed into Garage Stall 12, where the crew jacked up the left side. That lap, Preece’s crew finished changing tires and sent him back out four laps down in 37th. “Pretty sure we bent the front clip, pretty sure we're done here,” said Zilisch’s crew on Lap 6, then, “Yeah, done for sure.” Zilisch quietly says, “Copy. Sorry, guys.”
Back under green on Lap 7, McDowell served his pass-through penalty while Preece cleared the “Crash Clock.” On Lap 9, NASCAR declared Zilisch out of the race. McDowell remained on the lead lap until Lap 32, when race leader Denny Hamlin put him a lap down. The next time by on Lap 33, a two-car tangle between Zane Smith in the #38 Vermeer Midwest Ford and Carson Hocevar in the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet brought out the caution, giving McDowell his lap back.
Taking the 37th spot was Austin Hill, whose #33 zone x 7-Eleven Chevrolet got a shunt from Shane Van Gisbergen’s #97 SuperFile x Lefty Out There Chevrolet entering Turn 3 on Lap 48, sending Hill hard into the wall with the rear of his car. Hill made it down pit road, then pulled behind the wall on Lap 51, where the driver climbed out carrying his helmet. Two laps later, Richard Childress came over the radio saying, “That was on purpose for California,” referencing Hill’s tangle with Zilisch and Van Gisbergen in San Diego, a replay of which just shown on the TNT broadcast. Two laps later, Hill was declared out of the race.
One week after losing the point lead for the first time in 2026, Tyler Reddick endured another mechanical failure when a piece of debris pierced his radiator and oil cooler, causing his #45 Jordan Brand Toyota to start spraying water and oil down the side of his car. Reddick went to the garage, where the team completed repairs in 29 laps before he returned to the track on Lap 160. He finished the race 30 laps down in 36th. Yeley took 35th, 11 laps down to the leaders. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Kyle Larson, whose #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet spun off Turn 4 and became stuck in the grass. He lost two laps being towed from the grass, then suffered undertray damage limping his car back to pit road.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Zilisch is the first driver to finish last after failing to complete the opening lap since August 10, 2025, when Zilisch himself had to withdraw from Watkins Glen after his injury in victory lane the previous day.
*It’s the first time a Cup driver failed to complete a single lap of a Cup race at Chicagoland. The previous mark of 3 laps was set by Andy Houston before an engine failure on his #96 McDonald’s Ford on July 15, 2001, then matched on July 11, 2004 by Chad Blount’s #37 Carter’s Royal Dispos-all Dodge due to electrical issues.
*This also marked the first last-place finish for the #88 in a Cup race at Chicagoland.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #88-Connor Zilisch / 0 laps / crash
37) #33-Austin Hill / 47 laps / crash
36) #45-Tyler Reddick / 237 laps / running
35) #44-J.J. Yeley / 256 laps / running / led 2 laps
34) #5-Kyle Larson / 265 laps / running / led 23 laps
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Trackhouse Racing (5)
2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (4)
3rd) Hendrick Motorsports (2)
4th) 23XI Racing, Garage 66, Kaulig Racing, Live Fast Motorsports, RFK Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Wood Brothers Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (10)
2nd) Ford, Toyota (4)
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
