Connor Zilisch ties the NASCAR Xfinity Sequence Report along with his fourth straight win at WWT Raceway on Saturday night time within the Nu Manner 200.
MADISON, Ailing.—Connor Zilisch’s dream season continued on a monitor he’d by no means raced earlier than.
Zilisch’s Fourth Straight Win
Holding off the remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Sequence subject over a succession of restarts late in Saturday night time’s Nu Manner 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at World Extensive Know-how Raceway at Gateway, Zilisch achieved a litany of milestones along with his ninth victory as a rookie and tenth profession.
First and maybe most necessary, the 19-year-old phenom secured the regular-season championship and accompanying bonus of 15 playoff factors, beating reiging collection champion Justin Allgaier for that distinction by 53 factors.
With 4 straight victories, Zilisch tied the collection document for consecutive wins shared by Sam Ard (1983) and Noah Gragson (2022). His win was the sixteenth this 12 months for JR Motorsports, a single-season document for the staff.
Driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Zilisch led 121 of 160 laps in posting his seventh victory within the final eight races and his first-ever from the pole in an oval race.
Zilisch’s triumph additionally made a Playoff driver of Harrison Burton, who superior to the postseason on factors within the first Xfinity Sequence race at Gateway since 2010.
“4 in a row, seven of the final eight, that’s superior,” stated Zilisch, who enters subsequent week’s Playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway with 59 Playoff factors. “We’re going to have fun this—and the regular-season championship.
“Man, that is going to be powerful to maintain up, actually. It’s uncommon which you can go on a run like this. Each week I present up considering, ‘Man, that is going to be the weekend that we simply run eighth,’ and simply aren’t nice, however each weekend we present up and we’re a profitable race automotive, and my pit crew executes, my staff executes, all people does their job, and we find yourself doing burnouts on the frontstretch.”
“Yeah, it’s superior to have the ability to do that and win this many races.”
A Distinctive Twist for the Books
There may be one distinctive twist to Zilisch’s string of 4 victories. He broke his collarbone whereas celebrating in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, began the next race at Daytona on Aug.22 however gave approach to aid driver Parker Kligerman, who took the checkered flag after finishing 91 of the 104 laps.
Having began the race, Zilisch will get credit score for the win.
William Sawalich handed fellow Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver Aric Almirola for the second spot on Saturday after a restart on lap 149 and completed 1.506 seconds behind Zilisch. Christian Eckes ran third, Brandon Jones fourth and Jesse Love fifth, as Almirola light to sixth.
Sawalich wanted a win to advance to the Playoffs at Burton’s expense. As a substitute, he was runner-up for the second straight weekend.
“The 88 (Zilisch), he was on rails tonight,” Sawalich stated. “I believe he was positively the perfect automotive all night time… We didn’t make the Playoffs, however we actually gave them a run for his or her cash.”
Jeb Burton’s long-shot hopes of securing a Playoff spot ended on lap 100. Together with his right-front tire all of the sudden dropping air, Burton rocketed into the surface wall close to the exit from the second flip.
With a fireplace raging within the right-front wheel nicely of his No. 27 Chevrolet, Burton drove the automotive to pit street and climbed out, his race over.
“That was a tough hit,” Burton acknowledged. “It sucks, however we’re going to Bristol subsequent week.”
That accident, mixed with Zilisch’s win, sealed a Playoff place for Burton’s cousin, Harrison Burton, on factors. Coincidentally, Harrison spun within the second activate lap 129 after contact from Brennan Poole’s Chevrolet.
Harrison completed twenty second and claimed the ultimate Playoff berth by 45 factors over his cousin.
Allgaier’s bid for the regular-season championship got here to an abrupt finish on the next lap 135 restart. His No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was badly broken in an 11-car melee within the first flip. The incident successfully disadvantaged Allgaier’s probability to contest Zilisch for the highest sport within the standings.
Sam Mayer was eradicated in the identical wreck and ended the common season third within the standings.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Xfinity Sequence playoffs begins Friday, September thirteenth at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Meals Metropolis 300 begins at 7:30 pm ET on CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The 2024 winner is Cole Custer, who’s now racing within the NASCAR Cup Sequence.
