Top News

During lap 34 of the NASCAR Cup Series race held at the Naval Base Coronado, Trackhouse Racing teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch were engaged in a three-wide battle for the lead alongside Austin Hill, who had triumphed in the O'Reilly’s race on Saturday. Hill overcooked the entry into the first corner, triggering a chain reaction that eliminated all three from contention for Sunday afternoon’s victory.

Starting from pole position, van Gisbergen appeared to be managing a measured race, aside from a brief clash with Ryan Preece during their fight for fourth place, which also saw him inadvertently spin Chris Buescher through a full 360 degrees. Zilisch, meanwhile, took the lead during both the first and second stages, becoming the first teenager ever to lead laps in a NASCAR Cup Series road course race. However, his strong start quickly turned sour, as he went from leading laps to recording his sixth DNF of the season.

“I felt like I gave Austin enough space,” Zilisch told NASCAR on Prime. “Next thing I knew, I was in the wall. It’s really disappointing. I hate that both Shane and I ended the day early for the Red Bull Chevrolets. We had a really fast car today, got out front, felt great, but that’s just how racing goes sometimes.”

Hill proceeded to the DVP area hoping to get his car repaired and rejoin the race.

For Zilisch and van Gisbergen, however, their races were officially over as both were forced to retire and head to the garage. They became the second and third drivers to retire from the event, following the earlier exit of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota shared by Christopher Bell and Brent Crews.

Bell only completed the first pit cycle before handing over driving duties to Crews. Bell is still recovering from a wrist injury suffered in a major crash at Michigan two weeks prior, an injury made worse by the demands of a road course compared to an oval. Unfortunately, Crews’ debut in the Cup Series ended prematurely due to what appeared to be a gearbox malfunction.

Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch had been considered strong contenders for victory on the new street circuit. With the Red Bull-backed Trackhouse Racing duo now out, the competition has opened up significantly. Following today’s results, van Gisbergen drops to 19th in the overall standings, while Zilisch remains 35th — second to last among drivers who have competed in every race this season.