Kyle Busch has sent a message to Connor Zilisch and shown support after the young driver's trying debut at Circuit of the Americas.
"Your future's bright, I finished last in my Cup debut too," Busch posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Zilisch.
The Trackhouse Racing driver, who won Saturday's Xfinity race, made his Cup Series debut Sunday afternoon at the Texas road course and dealt with significant issues from the opening lap.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
He sustained damage in Turn 1 after teammate Ross Chastain dove too low, spun Chase Elliott, and caused a stack-up. Zilisch had to make an early trip down pit road after qualifying 14th overall. This dropped him outside of the top 30.
The early issue was a setback, but Zilisch had a fast car and plenty of road course experience. He raced his way up to 14th and appeared poised to contend for a top-10 finish. However, another unexpected problem ended his race.
Teammate Daniel Suarez hit the curb and spun out midway through the race. Zilisch raced wide in an attempt to avoid the incident, but the spinning No. 99 moved directly into his path. The two cars slammed together, and then Zilisch's No. 87 Chevrolet careened through the gravel and into the tire barrier, where it caught fire.
"All I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw him (Daniel Suarez), it was way too late to do anything," Zilisch said after a mandatory trip to the infield care center. "I saw him spinning off to the left, and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there.
"I guess he flipped back right, and he started coming towards me. Really unfortunate way to end my Cup Series debut. We were one of the top five fastest cars in the second stage there. I went from outside the top 30 to 14th, and I felt really good about our Chevy."
Busch's debut was also cut short due to an incident. Way back in 2004, he took over a Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet for a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He started 18th overall and gained two spots but only completed 11 laps before his race ended.
According to Hendrick Motorsports, Busch brushed the Turn 4 wall less than three laps into the race. He then hit it again a few laps later and caused significant damage. He took the No. 84 to the garage and never returned. Busch finished 41st in the 43-car field.
This was an early setback for Busch, but he clearly overcame his rough debut. He has gone on to win 63 Cup Series races and two championships. He has won 102 Xfinity races and a championship, as well as 67 Truck races.
It remains unclear how Zilisch will bounce back from his Cup debut, but Busch appears to have no doubts about the young driver's prospects.