Connor Zilisch was the NASCAR Xfinity Series king of the road once again this Saturday at Watkins Glen International. Though he sat on the pole, this race was far from a Sunday or Saturday afternoon driver for the No. 88.
Stage one was the usual scene for a road course race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season.
Connor Zilisch led 17 of 20 laps while racing JR Motorsports teammate Shane van Gisbergen for the lead for the majority of the stage. Ultimately, Zilisch, along with other Xfinity Series regulars hopeful to win, pitted early alongside the Cup Series and part-timers in the field. As a result, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier held on for the stage win.
There were three incidents and one caution during stage one. First, the engine of Garrett Smithley’s No. 14 car would blow on lap 3, with Smithley making it to pit road for the end of his day. But, on lap five, the No. 39 of Ryan Sieg wheel hopped into turn six, collecting DGM Racing’s Josh Bilicki for the first caution of the day. On Lap 20, Thomas Annunziata and Anthony Alfredo would also spin, but with no caution.
Stage Break: During the Stage Break, Multiple cars had to pit, including Taylor Gray, who ran towards the front of the field. Gray had trouble during his stop.
Stage two was a quiet go round for the drivers of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with Zilisch dominating from the outset, cruising to a stage victory. During the first laps of the stage, William Sawalich and Sam Mayer showed a lot of speed, while Austin Hill continued to have a silent but solid day on the road course following his one-race suspension last week.
Though caution-free, Stage two saw two drivers suffer notable incidents. First, in turn 7, Thomas Annunziata, in his second incident of the day, spun into the outside, crumpling the rear of his No. 70 car. He collected himself and made it to pit road. Then, with two to go, Daniel Dye cut a tire and was forced to pit while pit road was closed, suffering a penalty for doing so.
Stage Break: During the caution, three drivers found themselves behind the pit wall. These drivers included Anthony Alfredo and his No. 42, who were dealing with fuel pressure issues, Annunziata, who was out of the race and released from the infield care center, and Riley Herbst, who was dealing with engine problems.
The final stage of this weekend’s race was filled with aggressive racing and tough competition between a few key drivers.
From the restart, Zilisch dominated, though SVG and Austin Hill continued to run well. The major storylines of the final stage began when Shane van Gisbergen pitted from second with 32 to go. Suddenly, Sheldon Creed wrecked hard, resulting in another caution, skewing the No. 88’s pit stratagey.
After restarting in the back of the Top Ten, Zilisch became ultra-aggressive, cutting through the field and working SVG for multiple laps. With 18 to go, Zilisch hooked SVG entering turn seven, ending the No. 9’s day. However, it was unclear which JRM teammate was at fault.
Restarting on lap 69, Zilisch swarmed to the front, battling Hill and Michael McDowell for the win. However, a caution for debris would happen shortly after, again stalling the race,
Following the lap 72 restart, Zilisch again continued to battle the No. 11 and No. 21 before pulling away. Then, on lap 74, a major crash between Hill and McDowell occurred.
This crash, which collected 16 cars in total, saw McDowell spin off the nose of the No. 21, hitting the guard rail and collecting more cars, leading to a lengthy red flag. Thankfully, no drivers were injured in the incident.
After the red flag and a subsequent extension of the caution after Sammy Smith wrecked during the pace laps, Zilisch pulled away after a sketchy lap 79 restart, en route to his sixth win of the season.
In victory lane, Zilisch would slip off his car while being loaded into an ambulance. As of press time, this is an ongoing story linked below.
What’s Happening? Connor Zilisch is being evaluated in NASCAR’s infield care center after falling off his car while celebrating his dominant…
These results are unofficial as of the checkered flag, though things can change in post-race inspection. If there is a disqualification, these results will be updated.
That does it for the Xfinity Series action at Watkins Glen! What did you think of that race, NASCAR fans? Let us know! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. And be sure to tune back in here tomorrow for our coverage of the Cup Series from the Glen!
