After one week off, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action and heads back to Daytona International Speedway for a Friday night bout (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
A JR Motorsports representative confirmed to NASCAR.com that six-time winner and current points leader Connor Zilisch is currently slated to drive the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet following his collarbone injury at Watkins Glen International. Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Monday evening and discussed the status of Zilisch, who is a Trackhouse Racing prospect and whose progress the team is continuing to monitor. Marks noted the decision to get Zilisch back behind the wheel will be a “group decision.”
“It’s a balance,” Marks told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “It’s a balance between a 19-year-old kid who just wants to be in the race car and can’t stand not being in the race car and is capable of driving the race car right now. And the other side of that is we need to make a smart decision. What we can’t do is rush him back into the car, especially a place like Daytona, get in a wreck and then be worse off than we were before.
“So it’s kind of a day-by-day deal right now. This will be a big week to see how his rehab goes and his comfort level and all that stuff. And it could end up being a game-time decision. I know that we all want him back in the race car. He wants to be back in the race car. JRM wants him to be back in the race car. But we’ve got to make smart decisions, so I would just say, stay tuned on that one.”
— NASCAR.com —