Connor Zilisch became the seventh driver in NASCAR Xfinity Series history to win his first race Saturday, taking the checkered flag under yellow after a crash-filled final few laps of the Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.
The scheduled 82-lap race required two overtimes and was extended to 90 laps, with Zilisch holding off the field twice on restarts to take the win in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Carolina Carports Chevrolet co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who called to congratulate Zilisch during the post-race press conference.
Sheldon Creed finished second, AJ Allmendinger third, Chandler Smith fourth and Shane van Gisbergen fifth in the 38-car event on the 2.45-mile road course.
“It’s hard to put into words how much this meant to me,” said Zilisch, 18. “I’ve worked really hard for this race. I’ve been preparing for this for over three months now. Other than the Rolex 24 at Daytona, this was probably the biggest race of the year for me. To come here and prove to myself that I can do it and that I can compete at the highest level is something special for me.”
The win caps a perfect weekend of racing for Zilisch, who dominated Friday’s General Tire 100 at The Glen, an ARCA Menards Series race. It’s the fifth win in eight ARCA races this year for the Mooresville, N.C., native.
He returned Saturday morning to take the pole position for the Xfinity race, his first of four races this year with JR Motorsports. He will drive full-time for the team in 2025.
Zilisch made his final stop on lap 48 and fuel was an issue for him as he chased the win. His team advised him to conserve fuel with 22 laps to go and he conserved enough to make it to the finish line.
Zilisch easily won the 20-lap opening stage, but was sent to the back of the field just past the halfway point after jumping the inner loop during a yellow flag. Zilisch followed leader Ty Gibbs and defending winner Sam Mayer, unaware that it would cost him a penalty.
“It was stupid of me. But I thought they knew better, and I should have,” Zilisch said. “I thought these guys who have been racing in this series for a few years would have done the right thing, so I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to follow them and try to look cool,’ and I ended up at the back of the pack. But honestly, it was a blessing in disguise because it put us in our window and got us to the end of the race.”
Zilisch moved into eighth place on lap 57, then quickly moved up to fifth. He took the lead on lap 67 when van Gisbergen pitted. Van Gisbergen, a three-time winner this season, was penalized for speeding on the pit lane.
What had been a relatively clean race turned sour late in the race, with a red flag at 22 minutes to clear the track after an incident.
More: Ross Chastain wins pole position for Go Bowling at The Glen
Zilisch held off Mayer, who finished 20th, and famed road course ace Allmendinger on the final two restarts before yellows were issued. The first yellow was the result of an incident involving Brandon Jones and Mike Skeen on the inner loop, and the second was caused by a four-car crash on the backstretch.
“I was happy that I was able to get through those restarts without any problems,” said Zilisch. “I knew that as soon as I got through the first corner, I was fast enough to be able to take the lead and extend the gap at the top of the Esses.”
Mission 200 Results at The Glen
Location|Starting position|Driver|Car|Laps completed
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(1) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 90.
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(9) Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 90.
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(3) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 90 years old.
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(6) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 90.
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(13) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 90 years old.
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(21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 90.
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(19) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 90.
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(11) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 90.
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(33) Joey Logano, Ford, 90 years old.
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(26) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 90.
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(27) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 90.
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(7) William Byron, Chevrolet, 90.
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(12) Riley Herbst, Ford, 90.
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(23) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 90.
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(35) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 90.
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(32) Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, 90.
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(4) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 90.
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(18) Jeremy Cléments, Chevrolet, 90.
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(17) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 90.
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(5) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 90.
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(15) Cole Custer, Ford, 90.
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(14) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 89.
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(31) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 89.
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(37) Ed Jones, Toyota, 89.
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(2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 89.
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(8) Aric Almirola, Toyota, 88.
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(34) RC Enerson, Chevrolet, 85.
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(16) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 84.
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(30) Thomas Annunziata, Toyota, 84 years old.
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(25) Mike Skeen, Chevrolet, Accident, 83.
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(28) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, oil leak, 81.
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(38) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Accident, 80.
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(10) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 80.
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(24) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 80.
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(20) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, rear end, 75.
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(22) Alon Day, Chevrolet, Brakes, 57.
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(36) Kyle Sieg, Ford, axle, 54.
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(29) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, rear, 15.
Average speed of the race winner: 85.007 mph.
Race time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, 38 seconds.
Margin of victory: Attention Seconds.
Warning flags:7 for 19 rounds.
Lead changes:10 out of 7 drivers.
Tour Leaders: C. Zilisch 1-22; T. Gibbs(i) 23-24; A. Allmendinger 25-29; W. Byron(i) 30-44; T. Gibbs(i) 45; C. Custer 46-51; W. Byron(i) 52; S. Van Gisbergen #53-66; C. Zilisch 67-82; S. Mayer 83; C. Zilisch 84-90.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Leading Time, Leading Laps): Connor Zilisch 3 times for 45 laps; William Byron(i) 2 times for 16 laps; Shane Van Gisbergen # 1 time for 14 laps; Cole Custer 1 time for 6 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 5 laps; Ty Gibbs(i) 2 times for 3 laps; Sam Mayer 1 time for 1 lap.
Step 1 Top 10: 88,7,20,81,18,00,2,98,39,51.
Step 2 Top Ten: 17,19,88,1,7,00,98,21,39,51.
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This article was originally published in the Elmira Star-Gazette: Connor Zilisch wins Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen
