“I don’t think I’m gonna pull that”: Connor Zilisch reflects on his risky block that left him injured in the spring Talladega race

NASCAR Xfinity prodigy Connor Zilisch has learned from his mistakes and said that there were no reasons for him to make 'crazy blocks' on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway, like he did during the spring race there.

Zilisch attempted a bold block on Jesse Love, who was making a move to the inside, but made contact, which sent his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet spinning into the inside wall. The impact was severe enough to cause a lower back injury and sideline the 19-year-old JR Motorsports driver for the following race.

Zilisch discussed the high-risk move with Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass.

"Where I'm at right now, I don't think I gonna pull that trying to make that block. And, even any time, I think I was early to make that move when I did in the spring. We had a long way to go and I think you forget that sometimes when it's the last lap. Really, there's a lot of runs left to be built so, definitely, I would let that run go and try to fight back for it off the 4 and see if I can make something happen there," Connor Zilisch said.

Before the crash, Zilisch had been leading the race and was poised for a potential win.

"I just need to finish today to get some points, so there's no reason for me to be making crazy blocks like that on the last lap," he added.

Zilisch leads the Xfinity Series playoffs standings and has 82 points above the cutline. He also has a 38-point advantage over teammate Justin Allgaier, who is ranked second in the standings.

Connor Zilisch to start NASCAR Xfinity playoff race at Talladega in Row 4 with Justin Allgaier

Connor Zilisch has just one start at Talladega, but he keeps looking like the championship favorite even when he does not win. He started the year slowly and began finishing at the front every week. He has ten Xfinity wins this season and has not finished worse than fifth since April. The Talladega spring race was also his last finish outside the top-25.

Connor Zilisch qualified in seventh place for the United Rentals 250 and will start the race in the fourth row with Justin Allgaier.

Meanwhile, Jesse Love won the pole with a lap of 52.605 seconds. He beat William Sawalich by roughly a tenth of a second and led a strong qualifying effort. Christian Eckes, Carson Kvapil, Austin Hill, Jeb Burton, Aric Almirola, and Brandon Jones rounded out the top-10 during Saturday's qualifying sessions.

The race is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET (October 18).

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam