Connor Zilisch said he’s been a playful target of weekly social media memes since his scary fall while celebrating in victory lane at New York’s Watkins Glen International last year.
The barbs really picked up two weeks ago, though, after Carson Hocevar won during the NASCAR Cup Series’ spring stop at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway and took a daring victory lap while hanging out of his car without any hands on the wheel.
“I got tagged in so many things saying, ‘Don’t let Connor do this!'” said Zilisch, who broke his collarbone after losing his balance exiting the car at Watkins Glen but avoided missing a start with the injury. “So I’m certainly never going to live that one down. But I definitely get some comedic relief out of it. And it was a little bit scary at first. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t laugh about it still today, but at least I can laugh about it.”
The humor is welcome during what has been a difficult rookie season in the top-tier Cup Series for the 19-year-old North Carolina native. In this case, it’s his team that has taken a figurative tumble.
Trackhouse Racing has endured a miserable year so far, with a combined four top-10 finishes in 11 races between Zilisch, Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain. Their three Chevrolets are ranked below the cutline to qualify for the Chase, the 10-race run for the championship to close the season.