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Justin Allgaier Wins Nashville Xfinity Race After Feeling He Failed His Team the Weekend Prior
Justin Allgaier Wins Nashville Xfinity Race After Feeling He Failed His Team the Weekend Prior

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Automotive
  • Yahoo

Justin Allgaier Wins Nashville Xfinity Race After Feeling He Failed His Team the Weekend Prior

After sweeping the opening two stages, Justin Allgaier ultimately won his third race of the 2025 season with an aggressive restart with 47 laps to go. Allgaier lined up behind the No. 20 of Brandon Jones, restarting third with Connor Zilisch on the outside of the front row. Jones was on older tires than the rest of the leaders, and Allgaier took this as his chance to move to the lead. The 2024 champion dove low on the restart to move past Jones, as Zilsich took the high line, Allgaier took the lead entering turn one, and secured it leaving turn two. From there, Allgaier was in control until the end of the race, with four laps remaining, a car got loose and kissed the wall, nearly collecting Allgaier. This was Allgaier's third win of the season, tying Austin Hill. With it, Allgaier extends his championship lead by collecting the maximum 61 points for winning both stages, running the fastest lap, and taking the win. "Racing was a lot of fun with Connor there, and I knew whoever got out front was going to be the winner," Allgaier told The CW Sports. Zilisch settles for his second runner-up finish in a row, as an oval win in 2025 continues to evade the rookie driver. Allgaier's first message after winning was that he felt like he had failed his team with his decision not to pit late last week at Charlotte, leading him to finish fourth after dominating late in the race. "I failed you all last week, I need to redeem myself this week," Allgaier said over the radio. Allgaier stayed out last week when he saw that the No. 00 of Sheldon Creed was making the same decision, he assumed he could pull more people to stay out on the track but instead the majority of the leaders pitted for fresh tires, which turned out to be the race winning move as Allgaier feel back to fourth. "Being the leader is a tough spot in that regard," Allgaier told CW Sports last week. "I saw that the No. 00 was heading to stay out anyway, and to be honest with you, you know, Jim Pohlman, this whole 7 team, they do an amazing job, and I should have just come down pit road." This week, when asked if it was the machine or the driver that deserved flowers for the win, he responded with the crew. "These guys right here," Allgaier said. "They deserve this more than anything. I screwed them over last week for making a pit call with a car that was equally on rails." For Zilisch, a second-place finish didn't come with a redemption arc as he lost his chance at a win on restart for the second straight week. "I thought I might be able to get back by him, but clean air was everything," Zilisch said. It's the second week in a row I've finished second thanks to a restart." Zilisch, while disappointed in a second-place run, is happy to learn as much as possible by running against past champions and consistent winners during his rookie campaign. Sam Mayer, Zilisch and Allgaier's JR Motorsports teammate, finished third with Creed in second. Ross Chastain, after running through the field several times, settled for a fifth-place finish ahead of Aric Almirola and Austin Hill. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car

Top prospect Connor Zilisch taking it all in stride ahead of Cup oval debut
Top prospect Connor Zilisch taking it all in stride ahead of Cup oval debut

Fox Sports

time21-05-2025

  • Automotive
  • Fox Sports

Top prospect Connor Zilisch taking it all in stride ahead of Cup oval debut

Connor Zilisch describes his rookie Xfinity season as one of "growing pains," and that has nothing to do with his recent back injury. The 18-year-old Zilisch was seventh in the standings before dropping to 12th after missing the last race at Texas following a hard crash at Talladega. His win at Circuit of the Americas in March has him comfortably in the playoffs, so Zilisch has already accomplished one of the goals. But, frankly, more eyes could be on Zilisch in the Coca-Cola 600 as he makes his Cup oval debut this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Zilisch finished 37th after a crash about midway through his series debut at COTA, a day after winning the Xfinity race. Zilisch, who honed his road-racing skills in Europe, has been touted as a top Cup prospect the last few years and is under contract with Trackhouse Racing while also having a personal services deal with Red Bull. How he performs in the select Cup races this year, as well as in Xfinity, could determine if he moves to Cup in 2026 or whether he stays in Xfinity for another season. "I'm having so much fun competing for wins every week here," Zilisch said about racing for JR Motorsports in Xfinity. "It's been a blast. "And I try not to look too far into the future. I want to enjoy every race like it's my last, and I'm just trying to make the most of this season with the goal of winning a championship. I know if I do everything I need to do, that long-term I'll be where I want to be." While he has had the speed each week, even at tracks he has never raced previously, Zilisch feels he's not doing everything correctly to get the results worthy of the cars he's driving. "It's just been an up-and-down year," Zilisch said. "But throughout it all, my team and I, we've been getting better every week and understanding what I need out of the car every week and how to go through a race without making mistakes. "I've definitely done things that have hindered myself points-wise. I could have had a lot of better finishes. I have wrecked on all three superspeedway races. I finished 28th at Martinsville with the fastest car. Overall, looking back on it, I feel like we've done a really good job. But I feel like there are things that I can clean up." Many believe Zilisch has the whole package — great talent, grounded mindset and an engaging personality. Kevin Harvick saw Zilisch race at a young age and helped him land a few stock-car rides in order to get a NASCAR career in his grasp. Zilisch has won five ARCA regional series wins, five ARCA national series races and two Xfinity wins, including in his debut race last year at Watkins Glen. He also has a class win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Despite the two Xfinity wins, Zilisch said the "growing pains" in the series include that he can't come back from mistakes as easily as in other series. "I feel like you make one mistake and it ends your day," Zilisch said. "I've never had that before in the racing I've done. ... Learning to minimize mistakes has been probably the toughest part for me, and understanding that one mistake can end your day." The other thing Zilisch has learned is not to overthink his race and strategy. "I feel like coming into the year, I was so worried about how complicated the races were going to be, and going to new tracks and pit road and everything — and, honestly, the less I've tried to think about it, the better I've been," he said. The mistakes have increased chatter on social channels that Zilisch might not live up to the hype. As an 18-year-old who grew up with social media, Zilisch is used to the seeing comments about his performance. Those comments, though, likely have been more critical as the Zilisch hype has increased over the last year. "I don't let it get to me," Zilisch said. "If nobody was watching, I'd still race the same. It's just about going out there every weekend and preparing for every race the same, working with my team to do the best job we can do every weekend. "At times it does get tough to deal with the noise around and getting tagged on Twitter posts and whatever it may be. ... I feel like I've done a good job of just doing my deal and not really letting the outside noise affect me, good or bad." That's good because he has 400 laps in a Cup car ahead and everyone will be watching. "It's going to be tough," Zilisch said. "I don't expect to go and run well, ... but if I'm going to run in the Cup Series one day, I've got to be able to run those races. And there's no better way to get experience than trial by fire. "It's a long race that you can struggle the first half, and then you still have a full Xfinity race in the second half to come back from. There's a lot of time in that race. I feel like it'll be good for me to just get those reps, get the laps, and the more laps in that car, the better. That's part of the reason, is they just want to get me laps in the car, since we can't go testing. And what better way to do that than 400 laps at Charlotte?" Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

Connor Zilisch Confirms NASCAR Return As He Shares Major Health Update
Connor Zilisch Confirms NASCAR Return As He Shares Major Health Update

Newsweek

time19-05-2025

  • Automotive
  • Newsweek

Connor Zilisch Confirms NASCAR Return As He Shares Major Health Update

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Connor Zilisch has confirmed his NASCAR return after suffering a back injury as he shared an update on his recovery with his fans. Confirming the news on social media, the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver stated: "'I'm back.' "My back is all healed up and I'm ready for a big weekend at Charlotte. I'm pumped to make my second Cup start with Trackhouse and get back in the Xfinity car with JR Motorsports. Big thanks to everyone who helped me get back so soon!" The JR Motorsports driver sustained the back injury during a wreck with Jesse Love at Talladega. As a result, he missed the Texas Xfinity race in order to recover. Kyle Larson stepped in for the 18-year-old and went on to secure the victory. Despite not racing at Texas Motor Speedway, Zilisch spoke to the media to give an update. He explained at the time, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports: Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, gives a thumbs up to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26,... Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, gives a thumbs up to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. More"Yeah, I feel okay. You know, a lot of what I'm doing is not up to me, I listen to all the doctors around me and the people around me that have a lot more, not only racing experience, but life experience. "I've got a lot ahead of me, and to rush back into something after a crash like that would be silly. "So, yeah, we're just taking our time with the recovery process, taking it one day at a time, and you know, I'm feeling better every day. Thankful for everyone who's been there for me and been willing to give me unbiased answers throughout the process." He added: "I don't know what I'm allowed to say. "I cleared all my X-rays at the track, and there was nothing obvious. Everything is very minor, I'll say that. But, I don't know what I'm allowed to say to the extent of what my injuries are, but I'll probably just plead the fifth and not get myself in trouble. There is no crazy big injury that is going to hold me for months. It's going to be day by day." Zilisch returns for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24.

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