Connor Zilisch earned his first victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in style, capturing the Pennzoil 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 26.
But while this was his first win at the Racing Capital of the World, it wasn’t his first time standing on an IMS podium.
Zilisch finished third in the 90-car Spec Miata class during the 2021 SCCA Runoffs at IMS, and he returned to the podium in 2024 as part of the Era Motorsport team that finished third in LMP2 at the IMSA TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. His Xfinity win added yet another achievement to an already impressive résumé -- even more remarkable given that he turned just 19 years old four days before race weekend.
The Xfinity Series rookie sensation delivered a dramatic late-race charge in the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., passing fellow rookie Taylor Gray with two laps remaining and then holding off pole sitter Sam Mayer by .339 of a second. The win was Zilisch’s third consecutive victory, his fifth of the season at that point and the 100th win in JR Motorsports history, adding an extra layer of significance.
“This is awesome,” Zilisch said. “Those bricks look really kissable, and I’m ready to kiss them. Winning at Indy is awesome, and getting 100 wins for JRM is pretty cool, too. I consider this a pretty awesome day.”
Gray finished third in the No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota, followed by NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Ryan Sieg completed the top five in the No. 39 Sci Aps Ford.
Zilisch regained the lead in the closing stages when the 100-lap race was halted for the second time due to rain, during a caution from Laps 92-96 triggered by a crash involving Austin Hill and Aric Almirola. On the Lap 97 restart, Gray surged past Zilisch with help from a strong push entering Turn 1. Zilisch countered immediately, diving under Gray in Turn 2 and pulling alongside on the backstretch, but Gray defended the spot.
The decisive moment came one lap later. Zilisch made the same move exiting Turn 2 on Lap 99, but this time Sam Mayer locked onto Zilisch’s rear bumper, giving the No. 88 the aerodynamic boost needed to clear Gray entering Turn 3. Mayer also passed Gray, but Zilisch controlled the final lap-and-a-half to secure the victory. He led 19 laps in total, overcoming an early slow pit stop that dropped him down the order.
For much of the afternoon, it appeared Justin Allgaier and Kyle Larson were the drivers to beat. But on the Lap 87 restart, Larson pushed high into Turn 2 and made contact with Allgaier, sending the No. 7 Hellmann’s Spicy Mayo Chevrolet into the SAFER Barrier. Allgaier, who led a race-high 37 laps and was seeking his second Pennzoil 250 win, was eliminated. The incident also slowed Larson’s momentum, allowing Zilisch and Gray to take control.
From there, Zilisch closed out a milestone win for himself, for JR Motorsports and for his fast-rising career.
