BRISTOL, Tenn. — Connor Zilisch entered the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs on fire. He’d won four straight races entering the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and seven out of the last eight.
Yes, one of those victories came courtesy of relief driver Parker Kligerman. But Zilisch, who is only a rookie, had captured the regular season crown in dominant fashion.
That run of form didn’t continue in the opening round of the playoffs, but Zilisch wasn’t far off.
On Friday (Sept. 12), Zilisch looked like he would continue his phenomenal streak. He progressively improved throughout the race, rising from fourth to second in stage one, narrowly behind his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier. The 19-year-old then waged a fierce battle with Sam Mayer and Allgaier in stage two, taking the stage win in an incredible finish.
He kept the lead until lap 266 of 300, when the rookie chose to pit under caution for four fresh tires. Eight drivers, including Aric Almirola, stayed out on track.
The proved to be a losing gamble. Zilisch gained positions on track, but ultimately ran out of time to reach the front. Almirola never relinquished the lead en route to the win. Zilisch ended up fifth. His incredible winning streak was over, and he ended the night talking with the media on pit road rather than celebrating in victory lane.
It wasn’t a bad run by any standard other than the impossibly-high one set by the No. 88 team over the summer months. A fifth-place result in the Xfinity Series is still a stout run, especially for a rookie at just 19 years old.
Zilisch also continued an impressive streak, earning his 15th straight top-five to tie the series record. But he was left wondering what could’ve been had a late yellow not forced his team into a hopeless strategy decision.
“Yeah, we’re sitting in a pretty good spot,” Zilisch told The CW post-race. “It’s tough at the end of those races to make the right decision. You know, whatever you do, they’re going to do the opposite of you. And I just wish that caution hadn’t come out in the first place. But our WeatherTech Chevrolet was as fast as Xfinity Mobile all night. We put ourselves in a good position and had a chance at it, but not tonight.”
The Trackhouse Racing prospect leaves Bristol atop the point standings, 85 above the Round of 10 cut line. Next up is Kansas Speedway, a racetrack where he finished fourth last year.
Zilisch has rapidly ascended the NASCAR ranks. That’s only going to continue next year, when he moves up to the NASCAR Cup Series. With a series-best nine wins and the regular season title in hand, he’s the year’s best driver and the favorite to win the championship.
So while most drivers would consider a top five a successful accomplishment, Zilisch has to remind himself he’s human.
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.