In a caution-filled NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Connor Zilisch made history. Earnhardt Jr. secured his first win as a crew chief in his debut, while Zilisch captured his first career victory on an oval at just 18 years old.
Pole Sitter: Chase Elliott
Outside Pole: Brandon Jones
DNQ: None
Laps: 100
Stage 1: 25 Laps
Stage 2: 25 Laps
Final Stage: 50 Laps
Broadcast: CW
Green Flag was at 3:41 PM Est
Chase Elliott started on the pole and set the tone early, leading every lap of Stage 1 until making the decision to pit just before the stage break to prioritize track position for the second stage. As a result, Brandon Jones, who stayed out, inherited the lead and secured the Stage 1 victory.
The race opened with two consecutive cautions, briefly disrupting the flow, but eventually settled into a longer green-flag run. Jones’s strategy paid off in the short term with the stage win, though it shuffled him deeper in the field for the start of Stage 2.
1st. Brandon Jones
2nd. Nick Sanchez
3rd. Connor Zilisch
4th. Ryan Sieg
5th. Christian Eckes
6th. Sammy Smith
7th. William Sawalich
8th. Sheldon Creed
9th. Jeremy Clements
10th. Austin Hill
The second stage never found a consistent flow, as repeated cautions kept the field from settling into a long green-flag run. Justin Allgaier and Chase Elliott were beginning to battle for the lead, but another caution interrupted the action before it could materialize.
The string of yellows forced teams into varying strategy calls. Elliott and Allgaier pitted under caution, while Connor Zilisch and others stayed out to gain track position. Crew chief Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the bold decision to keep Zilisch on track, not just before the stage break but also during the stage-ending caution. The call paid off, with Zilisch winning the stage and maintaining the lead for the start of the final segment, maximizing both points and track position.
1st. Connor Zilisch
2nd. Taylor Gray
3rd. Nick Sanchez
4th. Jesse Love
5th. Christian Eckes
6th. Ryan Sieg
7th. Justin Allgaier
8th. Sammy Smith
9th. Carson Kvapil
10th. Jeb Burton
With a bold strategy call from crew chief Dale Earnhardt Jr., Connor Zilisch took the lead early in the final stage and controlled the race from the front. Zilisch led every lap until pitting on lap 68, holding off a charging Chase Elliott, who had shown dominant speed throughout the day.
Following Zilisch’s stop, a caution came out, shuffling the field. Zilisch would restart as the leader, but Elliott quickly reclaimed the lead, making an aggressive three-wide move into Turn 1 to regain control of the race. However, another caution soon followed, bunching the field once again. On the next restart, Justin Allgaier made a move underneath Elliott in Turn 1 but got loose—reportedly due to oil on the track, causing both drivers to lose momentum and valuable track position.
Jesse Love capitalized, taking over the lead, but the advantage was short-lived. Zilisch tracked down Love in the closing laps and made the decisive pass for the lead. Zilisch went on to claim the victory, securing his first oval win.
1st. Connor Zilisch
2nd. Jesse Love
3rd. Christian Eckes
4th. Chase Elliott
5th. Ryan Sieg
6th. Carson Kvapil
7th. Sam Mayer
8th. Sammy Smith
9th. Taylor Gray
10th. Justin Allgaier
11th. Jeb Burton
12th. Jeremy Clements
13th. Anthony Alfredo
14th. Harrison Burton
15th. Josh Williams
16th. Brennan Poole
17th. Dean Thompson
18th. Brandon Jones
19th. Matt DiBenedetto
20th. Mason Massey
21st. William Sawalich
22nd. Parker Retzlaff
23rd. Josh Bilicki
24th. Leland Honeyman
25th. Kyle Sieg
26th. Garrett Smithley
27th. Logan Bearden
28th. Nicholas Sanchez
29th. Blaine Perkins
30th. Patrick Emerling
31st. Daniel Dye
32nd. Ryan Ellis
33rd. Dawson Cram
34th. Carson Ware
35th. Austin Hill
36th. Sheldon Creed
37th. Kris Wright
38th. Justin Bonsignore
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