Following his first career Top 10 Cup finish at Sonoma last weekend, Connor Zilisch came into Chicagoland with some momentum. Unfortunately, the momentum just didn’t last. On lap one of Sunday’s Chicagoland race, contact from the outside caused the 60 car of Ryan Preece to spin out in front of Connor, forcing him to react and sending his 88 car into the inside wall down the backstretch.

Sadly, the TrackHouse Racing driver is now on his 7th DNF of his rookie season. Not only is that the most of any driver in the series, but it is also the most of any driver in the NEXT Gen Era. Connor’s seven DNFs are also the most recorded to this point in a season since 2020, when both Ryan Preece and Timmy Hill sat at seven as well.

Connor has now finished last three times this season and has only five finishes of 20th or better. We have seen the TrackHouse cars struggle all season long, so it’s not all on Connor. Shane van Gisbergen has propped up the entire team in 2026, even though Ross Chastain has not had the season we all know he is capable of.

We all know Zilisch can wheel a car, but the question remains: can they turn it around before the end of the season?

Image: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images