Friday Faceoff: What Are Expectations for Connor Zilisch In His Return From Injury?

1. How will Kyle Larson fare in his second attempt at the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 double?

Jake Altmayer: While I fully expect Kyle Larson to run up front and contend for the win in the Coca-Cola 600, I’m still not sure how he’ll fare in his second Indianapolis 500 attempt. Larson showed great speed in his debut last season and ran inside the top 10, but a late race speeding penalty resulted in him finishing 18th. This year, the Californian will start from the middle of the pack, and while I would expect him to move forward from there, he has also suffered multiple crashes in the weeks leading up to the race, which definitely raises concern. That said, Larson is no doubt one of the greatest and most versatile drivers in the world, so it would not come as a huge surprise to me to see him finish top 10 in both the 500 and 600 on Sunday (assuming Mother Nature cooperates this time around).

Christopher Hansen: After rain last year prevented Larson from completing all 1,100 miles, he will accomplish that in 2025 and have competitive runs in both races. Despite starting mid-pack in 21st for the Indy 500, Larson will lean on his experience from last year to improve on an 18th-place finish and be able to score a top 10. As for his NASCAR Cup Series car in the Coca-Cola 600, Larson will be a threat to win simply because Hendrick Motorsports has had plenty of success in the 600 in its history. If Larson doesn’t win Sunday night, I expect he’ll be running near the front by the time the checkered flag flies.

Mike Neff: Assuming the weather cooperates, Larson will make the top 10, finishing seventh at Indianapolis. Charlotte Motor Speedway will be yet another impressive intermediate run for the No. 5, and he’ll end up in victory lane.

Tom Blackburn: With 500 miles of on-track combat action from last year’s race, expect Larson to be very competitive. He didn’t qualify as well as he did in 2024, but many drivers who are Indy one-offs like him struggled with the hybrid weight that threw off previously familiar balance, like Helio Castroneves and Marco Andretti. A couple things are in his favor, though. His NTT IndyCar Series team Arrow McLaren has some hot rods for the race — teammate Pato O’Ward is starting on the front row — and Tony Kanaan actually ran laps in the car, which he hadn’t done since hybrids were added. Knowing what the car can do with that weight will help Kanaan communicate with Larson driver to driver, and that’s key in getting the car to his liking. As long as rain doesn’t impact the event (fingers crossed), Larson can fight for a top 10. 

2. Who was the biggest snub from this year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame class?

Kevin Nix: Jack Sprague. His NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career is more than a little underappreciated. He won 28 times, is a three-time series champion and never finished worse than ninth in points in 12 full-time seasons. His Cup efforts not being fruitful is a likely reason why he got left off this year, but you cannot tell the story of the early years of the Trucks without mentioning Sprague. He was an integral part of the series’ early history and is one of the best to ever drive a truck. He should be in the Hall.

Neff: The class this year only had one snub: Larry Phillips continues to be ignored by the voting committee.  Arguably the best short track racer ever, alongside Dick Trickle, Phillips won somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 races. He is the first driver to win five NASCAR Weekly Series championships. He has been nominated since 2014 and is the only driver on that list that has not been inducted yet. 

Hansen: Sprague should’ve been voted into the 2026 class, as he’s one of the winningest drivers in the history of the Truck Series. A 28-time winner in the series, tied with veteran Mike Skinner for third all time and winner of three championships, Sprague was one of the more versatile drivers of his day. Legendary Hendrick Motorsports engine builder Randy Dorton would’ve also been a deserving nominee for the Hall of Fame, as his engines helped build the foundation and turn Hendrick into the iconic organization we know today. Dorton was a part of Hendrick’s nine NASCAR championships across the three touring series, along with winning three Daytona 500s, six Coca-Cola 600s, four Brickyard 400s, seven Southern 500s and five NASCAR All-Star Races.

3. What are your expectations for Connor Zilisch in his return from injury and his Cup oval debut this weekend?

Neff: Connor Zilisch will be in contention for the Xfinity Series win. He has shown his ability on intermediates already. There shouldn’t be any difficulties climbing back into the car and returning to the front portion of the pack. As for the Cup Series, it is going to be a challenge, for sure.  Four hundred laps around Charlotte is a long, grueling day into night. The ultimate result will most likely be a top-20 finish, provided he completes the full distance. It is going to test his fitness.

Altmayer: Zilisch will pick up right where he left off in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and we’ll see him running up front and contending for a top-10 finish Saturday. As for his performance in the 600, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him struggle a bit, as he not only lacks oval experience in the Next Gen car but also will be driving for a team (Trackhouse Racing) that has had trouble finding consistent speed this season. Add on top of that the grueling length of the race, and Zilisch may be in for a long Sunday night. 

Nix: Not very high. If he completes all 400 laps (or close to it) without incident, it will be a success. I know he wants to run in the top 10, but 600 miles is a very long distance. Zilisch will be behind the wheel for at least four hours, and he is coming off a not-so-minor injury. This race is the ultimate test of endurance and perseverance, and it is completely different from any race he has ever run. He needs to race the full distance, and this will be the most important Cup race he will run this year. I expect him to run all the laps and finish no more than one lap behind the race winner.

4. The final stage of Saturday’s Xfinity race will have a longer final stage (110 laps) than any of the stages in the Coca-Cola 600 (100 laps each). Should the stage lengths in the 600 be adjusted?

Altmayer: Absolutely. The Coca-Cola 600 is supposed to be a test of mental and physical endurance for drivers, so splitting it up into four 100-lap segments with guaranteed breaks in-between sort of defeats the whole endurance element of the event. I would like to see the race either divided into three stages like all other points races on the schedule (which would allow for a significantly longer final stage), or better yet, eliminate the stage breaks all together and instead keep the race green while still awarding points to the top 10 after each segment. This would allow for more strategy between teams on when to pit while also better testing the drivers’ endurance over 600 miles.

Hansen: Since the 600 is the only Cup race to feature four stages that are all 100 laps each, I don’t see an issue with the stages all being the same length, as drivers and teams can split each stage exactly right down the middle at 50 laps when it comes to fuel mileage, which we’ve seen come into play in the past in NASCAR’s longest race.

Nix: Yes. The last stage break should be removed. No Cup race should ever have a shorter final stage than any companion Xfinity race. A 200-lap last stage would be a fitting end for the longest race of the season.