WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Introducing … Connor Zilisch.
The 18-year-old North Carolina native made his formal entrée into big-time NASCAR racing with a major statement, holding off the field on a pair of thrilling overtime restarts at the historic 2.45-mile Watkins Glen Int’l road course to claim his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in his first career start.
The Mission 200 at The Glen finished under caution with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sheldon Creed finishing runner-up – for a record 12th time – emerging from a three-wide battle for second place with a multi-car accident farther behind in the field bringing out the yellow flag that ultimately froze the field.
“I worked so hard for this one,” a smiling Zilisch said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me, man. I don’t even have words.
“I don’t know how I saved enough, I sputtered up the hill,” he said of having to save fuel in the closing laps which included a restart with two laps remaining and then two more in overtime.
“With two to go, I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the line even. I’m going to enjoy this one for a while. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me.”
Zilisch, who also won in class in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona IMSA race, is the seventh driver to win in his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start – a list that includes the legendary Dale Earnhardt and current NASCAR Cup Series standout Ty Gibbs. And he becomes the second youngest race winner- to Joey Logano – in series history at 18 years, one month and 23 days.
It was that kind of weekend for the young driver, who led a race-best 45 of the 90 laps after earning his first career Xfinity Series pole position earlier Saturday. On Friday, he claimed his fifth ARCA Menards Series victory in seven starts.
His work on Saturday wasn’t necessarily an “easy” win, however. He really had to earn it – rallying from a mid-race penalty and managing fuel in the closing laps.
In an unusual situation during a caution, Zilisch received a penalty while running among the top three late in the race. NASCAR ruled the top-running trio – also including Gibbs and Sammy Smith – cut the course and the penalty sent them all to the rear for the restart. Zilisch rallied from 31st place and was top-five 20 laps later.
Creed, who is still competing for that first series victory after so many close calls, smiled on pit road Saturday, conceding this time his second-place finish was one he could be pleased with instead of seeing it as a near-miss. His rally on the final lap getting the best of some of the best road course drivers was a small victory in and of itself.
“Just trying to keep the nose on it there, actually really fun,” Creed said of the last-lap battle. “I felt like that was the battle for the win probably there if the 88 [Zilisch] ran out [of fuel]. I thought I put myself in really good positions to end up second again. I’m actually happy, for how my day was going.”
He finished just ahead of Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ all-time road course best, JGR teammate Chandler Smith and Kaulig’s Shane van Gisbergen, who had won the season’s previous three road course races.
Van Gisbergen was so impressed with Zilisch that when he congratulated the teenager in victory lane, he smiled and suggested some team should put Zilisch in a NASCAR Cup Series car for Sunday’s race.
Zilisch’s took a call from team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., during his winner’s press conference.
“Enjoy this, you never win your ‘first’ again,” Earnhardt told him.
Ross Chastain, who won the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the track earlier Saturday, finished sixth in the DGM Racing Chevrolet with Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman scoring a seventh-place finish. Richard Childress Racing rookie Jesse Love was eighth, followed by Joey Logano in the AM Racing car and MBM Motorsports’ Josh Bilicki.
The race was impactful with only a single event now left in the regular season to determine the 12-driver playoff field. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier finished 17th after an eventful day when the veteran was collected in multiple multi-car incidents. But he still emerged as the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader by 43 points over defending series champion, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who finished 21st Saturday after also being caught up in incidents on track.
At the other end of the standings, JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith was able to slightly extend his advantage over RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg for the 12th and final playoff position. Despite a mechanical issue from his first green flag pit stop, Smith was able to rally to a 19th-place finish. Sieg, who collected points during the second stage, is now 44 points behind Smith heading to Bristol.