Winning a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is something that many race car drivers dream of, and for those who are lucky enough to kiss the yard of bricks, it’s a moment that they’ll never forget.
However, Connor Zilisch’s victory in the Pennzoil 250 on Saturday (July 26) must have been extra special for the young driver, as he not only scored his third consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series win (and fifth of the season) but he also earned JR Motorsports their 100th victory in the series. Zilisch led 19 laps and ran inside the top five for the majority of the 100-lap event, but the win did not come easy. After Zilisch’s JRM teammate Justin Allgaier wrecked out in the closing laps, the Trackhouse Racing development driver had to endure several late race restarts and retook the lead from fellow rookie Taylor Gray with only two laps to go.
Crossing the line behind Zilisch were Sam Mayer and Gray, with Kyle Larson and Ryan Sieg rounding out the top five. William Sawalich, Sammy Smith, Daniel Dye, Jesse Love and Dean Thompson rounded out the top 10.
The Winners
Zilisch has been on an impressive hot streak since returning from injury at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, as he has now finished in the top five in all nine races since then, with seven of those results being second or better. With Allgaier’s misfortune, the 19-year-old is now just 21 points behind the regular season points leader.
It was a strong weekend for Haas Factory Team’s Mayer, who won both the pole and the opening stage of the event, and led 32 laps on the day. With two laps to go, Mayer was in position to possibly attempt a three-wide pass for the lead on the backstretch, but instead chose to push Zilisch past Gray and to the front. The Wisconsin native then attempted to run down the No. 88 Chevrolet, but with no help from behind, he had to settle for second. The result marks Mayer’s third runner-up finish of the year.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Gray seemed poised to score his first career victory in the closing laps, as he took the lead from Zilisch on a restart with three laps to go. However, Mayer’s decision to push Zilisch effectively eliminated the rookie driver’s chances of winning, and he would have to settle for a third-place result. While Gray may be disappointed in the outcome, he certainly has found some consistency over the past couple of months, as he has finished ninth or better in six of the last seven races.
While Sieg has become a familiar face to see running inside the top 10, his fifth-place finish on Saturday did not come easy. The Georgia native started way back in 21st and had to avoid some of the calamity in the closing laps to score the strong result. Sieg has now finished top five in back-to-back races at Indianapolis, and currently sits just 20 points below the playoff cutline.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sawalich has finally seemed to find some week-to-week consistency, as the rookie driver has now finished top 10 in three consecutive races. His sixth-place result at Indianapolis marks his best career finish on an oval.
Lastly, it was a strong day for rookies Dye and Thompson, who finished 8th and 10th, respectively. The result marks Thompson’s first top 10 since Charlotte on May 24.
The Losers
There were many big names who ended the day with poor results, but perhaps none were more disappointing than Allgaier’s 36th-place finish.
The Illinoisan led 37 laps and seemed to have one of the cars to beat, but his day was derailed on a late race restart, when Cup Series regular Kyle Larson lost control of his Chevrolet in turn 2 while racing for the lead and hit Allgaier in the left rear, sending him hard into the wall. Allgaier also made contact with Brandon Jones, who would cut a tire as a result and have to hit pit road after running inside the top 10 for most of the race. Larson continued unscathed and finished the race in fourth, but Allgaier and Jones were relegated to 36th and 32nd, respectively.
While Allgaier’s result may have been the most disappointing of the race, it was Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill who had the most controversy. The veteran driver was running fourth with 10 laps to go when Joe Gibbs Racing’s Aric Almirola attempted to pack air on his left rear and pass him coming out of turn three.
Hill managed to hang on to his car after almost losing control, but after gathering it back up, he turned sharply left and hooked Almirola’s Toyota in the right rear, sending the three-time Cup Series winner hard into the turn four wall. Almirola was okay after the incident, but would end the day with a 35th-place result. Hill, meanwhile, was held five laps by NASCAR for reckless driving and would be credited with a 34th-place finish.
Lastly, it was a disappointing outcome for rookies Nick Sanchez and Carson Kvapil, who would both see their days derailed after contact from other drivers in turn two. Sanchez wrecked out of the race at the start of the second stage, after fellow rookie Christian Eckes slid up the track and hit Sanchez’s Big Machine Racing Chevrolet, while Kvapil suffered a similar fate in stage three, when Leland Honeyman lost control of his Chevrolet while underneath Kvapil and collected him. Sanchez and Kvapil would finish 33rd and 30th, respectively.
Fuel for Thought
With Hill’s seemingly intentional right rear hook on Almirola, the question on everyone’s mind will be whether NASCAR will suspend the Georgia driver for his actions. While Hill claimed to his team that he did not intentionally wreck Almirola, it’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt when he has a history of intentionally wrecking drivers when he gets frustrated behind the wheel.
In addition, Hill did not seem particularly respectful or understanding of NASCAR’s decision to hold him for five laps, as he went on a verbal tirade on the radio after being informed of the penalty. Based on the precedent that NASCAR has set with recent incidents involving drivers wrecking each other intentionally on high speed ovals, as well as Hill’s history, it’s hard for me to imagine that they don’t suspend him for at least a week, if not more, but we will have to wait and see how the sanctioning body views this particular incident.
Paint Scheme of the Week
Matt DiBenedetto’s Savannah Bananas Chevrolet was one of the most eye-catching cars on track Saturday, with a bright yellow paint scheme featuring the exhibition baseball team. DiBenedetto would finish the day with a strong 11th-place result.
Going bananas at the Brickyard🏁 pic.twitter.com/TwuvcQK7uL
— Viking Motorsports (@VKNGMotorsports) July 26, 2025
Where to Next?
Next Saturday, August 2, the series heads to Iowa Speedway for the HyVee Perks 250. Last year’s event was won by Sam Mayer, who held off Riley Herbst in an overtime finish to score the victory. Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on The CW and radio coverage on the Motor Racing Network.
Jake Altmayer joined the Frontstretch team in 2025, assisting as a news writer and contributing to other weekly columns and articles, such as Friday Faceoff and Xfinity Breakdown. A 2024 graduate of DePaul University, Altmayer has closely followed NASCAR's national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks) for nearly a decade and has attended more than a dozen races over the course of that time. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, spending time with his loved ones, and listening to his favorite band, the Beach Boys.