Rick Ware Racing's Cody Ware is the only full-time driver he's ahead of in the point standings, and that has been the case for quite some time. In 22 races, Zilisch has scored fewer points than 23XI Racing's Corey Heim has scored for the No. Heim isn't Cup Series points eligible, but he'd be 13 points ahead of Zilisch if he were, averaging nearly 19 more points per race. Entering the 2026 season, Zilisch was among the top 10 favorites to win the championship, notably tops among the three-car Trackhouse team (Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen). Instead, he's facing elimination from championship contention with four races remaining on the 26-race regular season schedule.