Featured Latest News NASCAR NASCAR Xfinity Series

Connor Zilisch Earns 10th Career Xfinity Victory At World Wide Technology Raceway, Clinches Regular Season Championship

by racerx55 September 7, 2025 0 comments

Story & Photos By: Christian Koelle/TheFourthTurn.com

MADISON, Ill. – Connor Zilisch’s season has been nothing short of phenomenal, and Saturday night at World Wide Technology Raceway, that season continued.

Putting on a dominant performance in the Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog, Zilisch earned his 10th-career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and clinched the Regular Season title. The victory didn’t come easily, though, as he had to hurdle through a caution-filled third stage and hold off charges from William Sawalich and Christian Eckes for the victory late. 

“Four in a row, seven of the last eight, that’s awesome,” said Zilisch. “We’re going to celebrate this—and the regular-season championship. 

“Man, this is going to be tough to keep up, honestly. You can rarely go on a run like this. Every week I show up thinking, ‘Man, this is going to be the weekend that we just run eighth,’ and just aren’t great, but every weekend we show up. We’re a winning race car, and my pit crew executes, my team executes, everybody does their job, and we end up doing burnouts on the frontstretch.

Brandon Jones and Jesse Love rounded out the top five. Completing the top-10 was Aric Almirola, Daniel Hemric, Parker Retzlaff, Corey Day and Daniel Dye.

As for the NASCAR Playoffs, the field of 12 was set on Saturday night. Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer, who finished second and third in the Regular Season standings, were taken out in an accident at Lap 135 in the “big one” at Gateway. The accident, combined with his dominating performance, gave Zilisch the Regular-Season Championship, and with his points grab, he sits +59 over the cut line. Allgaier is second +30, followed by Mayer (+11), Love (+8), Brandon Jones (+8), Sammy Smith (+4), Nick Sanchez (+1) and Carson Kvapil who sits on the Round of 8 bubble.

Currently on the outside looking in are Taylor Gray (0), Sheldon Creed (-2), Harrison Burton (-3), and Austin Hill (-5).

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs will kick off at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, September 12, for the Food City 300. The race will broadcast on the CW at 7:30 p.m. ET.