XFINITY: Connor Zilisch Passes Jesse Love for First Oval Win at Pocono

During Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway, both Connor Zilisch and team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were able to check something major off of their bucket lists with a win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Zilisch, an 18-year-old rising star competing full-time in the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, was able to capture the victory at the 2.5-mile triangle-shaped racetrack, his third victory in the second-tier series, but more importantly his first not on a road course.

This weekend’s event at Pocono provided Zilisch and the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with an interesting hurdle, as Mardy Lindley (the team’s normal crew chief) was suspended for a lug nut penalty at Martinsville.

On the pit box for Saturday’s race-winning effort? 24-time Xfinity Series winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“It’s pretty funny,” Zilisch said after the race. “[Dale Earnhardt, Jr.] was kicking me in the ass on some of those restarts, giving me some advice. The advice from him is advice well taken from me, so yeah, it was really cool to have him and to get him one for one as a crew chief was pretty awesome, as well.”

The Charlotte, North Carolina-native was one of the three strongest cars on the afternoon – alongside NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott and defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and Zilisch’s teammate Justin Allgaier.

While the strategy ebbed and flowed throughout the event, it was a Lap 72 caution for Garrett Smithley that put Zilisch in a fantastic position, having just made his final pit stop under green, while the race-leaders still needed to come down pit road once more.

That allowed Zilisch to get out front of the pack, and even though both Elliott and Allgaier made quick work of the 18-year-old, additional cautions allowed the field several chances at the race-lead, which eventually paid off when Allgaier made a major mistake heading into Turn 1.

With 12 laps remaining in the 100-lap contest, Allgaier and Elliott were side-by-side for the lead on a restart when Jesse Love made a three-wide move inside, totally catching the No. 7 Chevrolet off guard and causing him to get loose.

RACE RESULTS: Explore The Pocono Mountains 250

Elliott, Allgaier, and Zilisch would all lose positions in that scramble, allowing Jesse Love to get out front, with Christian Eckes in second place. However, more cautions gave Zilisch a chance to fight it out with Love, his best friend in the closing laps.

Zilisch made the pass with five laps remaining, and despite being the quicker car, wasn’t quite able to pull away, allowing Love to apply pressure. However, when the checkered flag was displayed, it was the No. 88 Chevrolet back in Victory Lane once again.

“I’ve been dying for this one for a while now,” Zilisch said post-race. “I know it hasn’t felt that long, but man, I’ve been so close on the ovals lately. I finished second at Charlotte, second at Nashville and yeah, Dale Jr. isn’t too bad on the box.”

After leading eight circuits around Pocono Raceway late in the going, Jesse Love collected a runner-up finish, clocking in less than a half-second behind race-winner Connor Zilisch. Rookie driver Christian Eckes scored his best career finish in third.

Chase Elliott, after falling outside the top-five with the major bobble with 12 laps to go, was able to rebound to score a fourth-place finish while Ryan Sieg and RSS Racing completed the top-five finishers for this weekend’s event at Pocono. For the first time in his 383 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Sieg started and finished inside the top-five.

Carson Kvapil had a quiet afternoon and finished in sixth place, with Sam Mayer seventh, Sammy Smith eighth, Taylor Gray ninth, and Justin Allgaier, one of the fastest cars all afternoon rounding out the top 10.

The race featured a total of 10 cautions, setting a new record for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Pocono Raceway.

Justin Allgaier leaves Pocono still holding a healthy lead in the regular season point standings, with Austin Hill sitting in second 82 points behind the lead. Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five in regular season point standings.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for its next event, with the Focused Health 250 taking place on Friday, June 27 at 7:30pm ET on The CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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