The win also gave Zilisch a record 17 consecutive top-five finishes.
Connor Zilisch continued his assault on the NASCAR Xfinity Series record book in the Blue Cross NC 250, winning his 10th race this season and increasing his consecutive top-five finishes to a record 17 on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.
“I’ve told my entire group, no matter what happens the next four races, it isn’t gonna define our season,” said Zilisch, who finished 1.134 seconds ahead of Austin Green.
Zilisch’s 10-race win season ties him with Noah Gragson and Sam Ard, who achieved the milestone in 2022 and 1983, respectively.
The Charlotte race determined the Xfinity Series Round of 8 and JR Motorsports possesses half of the field. Joining Zilisch in the Round of 8 are teammates Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil, and Sammy Smith. Kvapil advanced in the playoffs by two points, while Smith made it into the next round by one point. Joining the JR Motorsports four in the post-season’s next round are Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, and Sheldon Creed. Eliminated from the playoffs were Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, Austin Hill, and Harrison Burton.
With nothing to lose in the closing laps, Smith pitted in a “hail Mary” move with four to go to get four fresh tires in the hope a late-race caution period would occur. It worked. Just as his crew finished the pit stop, the fifth caution period began on lap 65 of the scheduled 67-lap race for a frontstretch incident involving Sage Karam. That caution period sent the event into overtime. When the race restarted, Smith was 12th with four fresh tires, while Gray was sixth. Smith quickly maneuvered through the field.
Another yellow appeared on the final lap for oil on the track, but Zilisch had already taken the white flag. The rule states that when a caution period is needed after the leader has taken the white flag then the race has officially ended.
Initially, the rundown showed Smith finished third and Gray placed 12th. That meant Smith and Gray were tied for the final playoff berth in the Round of 8. NASCAR spent about 10 minutes reviewing video, while Smith and Gray waited on pit road, agonizing over the finish. Eventually NASCAR determined Gray had finished 13th instead of 12th, giving Smith a one point advantage.
“We weren’t good enough today,” a disappointed Gray said. “We shouldn’t even have to be in this spot.”
Category: General Sports
