Written by Bailey Defoor, Edited by Sean McKean
After securing pole position for his debut race, Connor Zilisch dominantly won after overcoming a penalty and hectic last laps of the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen.
Despite starting on pole and leading for a majority of the opening stint, this win would not come easily, as Zilisch followed Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer through the bus-stop and collected a penalty late in the going. As the rule stands, drivers cannot cut through the bus stop under green or yellow. Zilisch dropped to the back of the field and climbed to take the lead with 15 laps to go.
Zilisch prevailed in two hectic restarts, successfully holding off Sam Mayer and AJ Allmendinger. In the first restart. He came out victorious in a three-way battle with AJ Allmendinger and Mayer and pulled away from the pack. But, before Zilisch could take the white flag, the caution - and soon, a red flag - was thrown for an accident that unfolded in Turn 1.
By the second restart, Zilisch was able to keep the lead even with his low fuel. Many of the drivers were struggling with the same thing, including Mayer, -who fell through the field on the last lap. Another caution was thrown on the final lap for a big shunt on the backstretch between six cars, and Zilisch crawled to the checkered flag, successfully holding off Sheldon Creed.
Even with the win under his belt, Zilisch is ineligible for playoffs as he is not a fulltime driver until next season where he is confirmed with JR Motorsports. Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, and Chandler Smith still hold the top spots in the standings going into the final round.
NASCAR Xfinity Shriners Children’s 200 Results:
1st. No 88: Connor Zilisch - JR Motorsports - Chevrolet
2nd. No 18: Sheldon Creed - Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
3rd. No 16: AJ Allmendinger - Kaulig Racing - Chevrolet
4th. No 81: Chandler Smith - Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
5th. No 97: Shane van Gisbergen - Kaulig Racing - Chevrolet
6th. No 92: Ross Chastain - DGM Racing - Chevrolet
7th. No 48: Parker Kligerman - Big Machine Racing - Chevrolet
8th. No 2: Jesse Love - Richard Childress Racing - Chevrolet
9th. No 15: Joey Logano - AM Racing - Ford
10th. No 91: Josh Bilicki - DGM Racing - Chevrolet
11th. No 32: Austin Green - Jordan Anderson Racing - Chevrolet
12th. No 17: William Byron - Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
13th. No 98: Riley Herbst - Stewart-Haas Racing - Ford
14th. No 31: Parker Retzlaff - Jordan Anderson Racing - Chevrolet
15th. No 43: Ryan Ellis - Alpha Prime Racing - Chevrolet
16th. No 42: Leland Honeyman - Young’s Motorsports - Chevrolet
17th. No 7: Justin Allgaier - JR Motorsports - Chevrolet
18th. No 51: Jeremy Clements - Jeremy Clements Racing - Chevrolet
19th. No 8: Sammy Smith - JR Motorsports - Chevrolet
20th. No 1: Sam Mayer - JR Motorsports - Chevrolet
21st. No 00: Cole Custer - Stewart-Haas Racing - Ford
22nd. No 39: Ryan Sieg - RSS Racing - Ford
23rd. No 44: Brennan Poole - Alpha Prime Racing - Chevrolet
24th. No 26: Ed Jones - Sam Hunt Racing - Toyota
25th. No 19: Ty Gibbs - Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
26th. No 20: Aric Almirola - Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
27th. No 14: RC Enerson - SS Green Light Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 9: Brandon Jones - JR Motorsports - Chevrolet
29th. No 35: Thomas Annunziata - Joey Gase Motorsports - Toyota
DNF. No 87: Mike Skeen - Jordan Anderson Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 27: Jeb Burton - Jordan Anderson Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 11: Josh Williams - Kaulig Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 21: Austin Hill - Richard Childress Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 5: Anthony Alfredo - Our Motorsports - Chevrolet
DNF. No 38: Matt DiBenedetto - RSS Racing - Ford
DNF. No 45: Alon Day - Alpha Prime Racing - Chevrolet
DNF. No 28: Kyle Sieg - RSS Racing - Ford
DNF. No 36: Kyle Weatherman - DGM Racing - Chevrolet
The Xfinity Series returns next week for the final race of the regular season at the Bristol Motor Speedway for Cheddar’s 300.
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