18-year-old Connor Zilisch was minutes away from being crowned as the ARCA Menards East champion on Thursday. Only if it hadn’t been for an unfortunate accident on Lap 65 of the Bush’s Beans 200 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Contact between Amber Balcaen and Logan Misuraca sent the latter’s No. 9 Chevrolet SS into the Turn 3 wall and left Zilisch, who was in the vicinity, with nowhere to go.
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He slammed hard into Misuraca and was knocked out of the race. All William Sawalich had to do then was finish his race to win the title and he did just that. An exemplary season by the Mooresville native came to a heartbreaking end courtesy of one of the few female racers in the sport. Misuraca had been a lap down at the time of the incident and was trying to recover from a spin earlier in the race.
So, what is her story? Born in Florida, Misuraca was only four years old when she began racing. Her father was a 360-degree sprint car driver just like his father before him. With speed in her blood, she moved to race in Legend cars at the age of 18. She is now a driver for Rev Racing in the ARCA Series and is sponsored by Clean Harbors. Her name is one of the big inspirations for many despite her young age.
Away from the race track, she has a degree in aerospace engineering University of Central Florida. She moved to a locality near the Nashville Superspeedway last year to aid her dreams of being a successful driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. She was the 2020 Pro Late Model Champion and her best finish in the ARCA East Series was seventh at the New Smyrna Speedway (2023).
Zilisch left feeling proud of his efforts in the ARCA Menards Series
Following the incident, the young, nearly champion did not have any ill feelings towards Misuraca. He told the press, “Frustrating way to end it, but still a lot to be proud of. I guess the 9 and the 22 got together. 9 hit the fence on the top of the track. I don’t know if she didn’t hold the brake or what but came down the track right in front of me and ended our day.”
Zilisch started in pole position for the Craftsman Truck Series race that followed. However, once again, he was caught in an accident and lost the victory to Layne Riggs despite leading 41 laps. Misuraca, on the other hand, settled for 27th place in the ARCA Menards Series East race. The day was a disappointment for her considering the pressure that she was under to perform.
The Bristol race was her only scheduled start in 2024 and a good finish would have cast better light on her future. All her attempts to run a late model in New Smyrna were hurdled by weather as well. Hopefully, she will get more opportunities to further her Cup Series dream in the future.
