On Wednesday, it was announced that NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch will miss Saturday’s (May 3) race at Texas Motor Speedway due to a lower back injury suffered in the April 26 race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Zilisch crashed hard into the inside wall following contact from Jesse Love, with Zilisch’s No. 88 making heavy contact with the SAFER barrier, which flexed dramatically due to the force of the impact.
In the short term, Zilisch’s injury is very unfortunate. While the 18-year-old will retain playoff eligibility, a rookie driver losing out on 300 miles of experience is never a good thing. It also gives Zilisch one less race to collect points as he tries to set himself up for the postseason.
However, the long-term ramifications could be Groundhog Day-esque.
In NASCAR, there seems to be no injury, save for a concussion or other head-related issue, more detrimental than a back injury.
In 2013, Denny Hamlin suffered a compression fracture after a vicious crash on the final lap of the Auto Club 400 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin had to sit for four races after the injury, slipping from 10th to 31st in points over the four-race stretch when he wasn’t in the car.
Still, Hamlin had 27 races to go in 2013 when he returned to the No. 11 at Talladega. Even if he couldn’t qualify for the playoffs, he was expected to at least find himself back inside the top 20 or top 15 by year’s end.
But that never happened. Aside from consecutive top-five efforts in the Southern 500 and Coca-Cola 600 shortly after his return, Hamlin never looked himself for much of 2013, eventually finishing 23rd in the standings. A win in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was encouraging, but by and large, 2013 was a lost season for a driver in his prime.
Despite the injury, Hamlin rebounded in a big way in 2014, becoming one of the four drivers to make in the inaugural Championship 4.
A decade later, Alex Bowman found himself in a similar position to Hamlin after he fractured a vertebra in a sprint car accident in April 2023.
A penalty had knocked Bowman down from the points lead, but the No. 48 team was still firing on all cylinders until Bowman was injured. When Bowman returned to the car for the Coca-Cola 600 after missing four races, all the speed vanished. He went winless for the first time since 2018 and missed the playoffs for the first time in his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 20th in points. Like Hamlin’s 2013 season, 2023 was essentially a wasted campaign for Bowman.
While Bowman didn’t bounce back with the same bang that Hamlin did, he did get back to victory lane at the Chicago street course and initially qualified for the Round of 8 before being disqualified at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
The best news for Zilisch from a competition standpoint is that the Xfinity Series won’t race for three weeks following Texas. When it returns to action on May 24, it’s unknown whether Zilisch will be healthy enough to compete.
Whenever Zilisch does return to the No. 88, however, it will be important for fans to keep a close eye on his performance. Both Bowman and Hamlin attested to the fact that back injuries make it harder for drivers to diagnose their cars, which could be the major reason for a drop off in performance shortly after a back injury is sustained.
For Cup drivers, that’s an unfortunate problem. But for a young prospect in his first year of Xfinity Series action, it’s a problem that could have far-reaching effects into the future. Zilisch will be in the 2025 Xfinity playoff field, but his level of competitiveness could now be threatened by extenuating circumstances. So too could be his scheduled start in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.
The good news? Hamlin and Bowman’s injuries and subsequent poor campaigns gave way to much better seasons the following year. Looking ahead to next season may not be wise for a young driver like Zilisch, but the prior experiences of his future Cup peers should be a sign that there will be brighter days ahead — that is, if NASCAR’s best prospect even sees a dip in performance at all.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.