Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at WWT Raceway on September 06, 2025 in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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NASCAR News: Conor Zilisch takes 4th straight Xfinity win

Posted by AR1 staff

Connor Zilisch’s remarkable rookie season reached new heights at the Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog on September 6, 2025, at World Wide Technology Raceway.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The 19-year-old phenom, who originally had his eyes set on being a Formula 1 driver, conquered a track he’d never raced before, fending off multiple late restarts to secure his ninth victory of the season and tenth career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Zilisch led 121 of 160 laps, earning his first oval-track pole-to-win triumph. His fourth consecutive victory tied a series record set by Sam Ard (1983) and Noah Gragson (2022), while his 16th win of the year set a single-season record for JR Motorsports. More crucially, Zilisch clinched the regular-season championship, outpacing reigning champion Justin Allgaier by 53 points to earn 15 bonus Playoff points.

“This is unreal—four in a row, seven of the last eight,” Zilisch said, beaming after doing burnouts on the frontstretch. “Winning the regular-season championship is huge, but keeping this streak alive is tough. My team and pit crew executed perfectly. Every week, I expect to finish eighth, but we show up and win.”

Zilisch’s win also secured a Playoff spot for Harrison Burton, who advanced on points in the first Xfinity Series race at Gateway since 2010. A unique twist marked Zilisch’s streak: his Daytona victory on August 22 was credited after a broken collarbone—sustained celebrating at Watkins Glen—forced him to hand the wheel to relief driver Parker Kligerman, who completed 91 of 104 laps.

William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, overtook teammate Aric Almirola on a Lap 149 restart to finish second, 1.506 seconds behind Zilisch. Christian Eckes took third, followed by Brandon Jones and Jesse Love, with Almirola fading to sixth. Sawalich, who needed a win to make the Playoffs, fell short for the second consecutive week. “The 88 was on rails,” Sawalich said. “We gave it everything, but it wasn’t enough for the Playoffs.”

The race wasn’t without drama. Jeb Burton’s Playoff hopes ended on Lap 100 when a sudden right-front tire failure sent his No. 27 Chevrolet crashing into the Turn 2 wall, igniting a fire in the wheel well. Burton escaped unharmed but was blunt: “That was a hard hit. It sucks, but we’re on to Bristol.”

Harrison Burton secured the final Playoff berth despite spinning on Lap 129 after contact with Brennan Poole, finishing 22nd—45 points ahead of his cousin Jeb. Allgaier’s championship bid ended in a Lap 135 restart pileup involving 11 cars, damaging his No. 7 Chevrolet and dropping him from contention. Sam Mayer, caught in the same wreck, finished the regular season third in the standings.

With 59 Playoff points, Zilisch heads to the Playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway as the driver to beat, his dream season showing no signs of slowing down.

onnor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at WWT Raceway on September 06, 2025 in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Results

1. (1)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 160.

2. (3)  William Sawalich #, Toyota, 160.

3. (10)  Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 160.

4. (12)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 160.

5. (18)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 160.

6. (7)  Aric Almirola, Toyota, 160.

7. (17)  Daniel Hemric(i), Chevrolet, 160.

8. (26)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 160.

9. (16)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 160.

10. (11)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 160.

11. (23)  Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 160.

12. (9)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 160.

13. (21)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 160.

14. (27)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 160.

15. (31)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 160.

16. (30)  Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 160.

17. (5)  Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 160.

18. (32)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 160.

19. (36)  Lavar Scott, Chevrolet, 160.

20. (29)  Thomas Annunziata, Chevrolet, 160.

21. (37)  Matt Mills(i), Chevrolet, 160.

22. (6)  Harrison Burton, Ford, 160.

23. (25)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 160.

24. (20)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 160.

25. (2)  Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 160.

26. (38)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 160.

27. (13)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 160.

28. (14)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 160.

29. (34)  Nick Leitz, Chevrolet, 160.

30. (15)  Sheldon Creed, Ford, 158.

31. (35)  Glen Reen, Toyota, 158.

32. (33)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 158.

33. (22)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 157.

34. (24)  Kole Raz, Ford, 145.

35. (4)  Sam Mayer, Ford, Accident, 134.

36. (19)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Accident, 109.

37. (8)  Carson Kvapil #, Chevrolet, Engine, 38.

38. (28)  Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Accident, 33.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  90.543 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 12 Mins, 32 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.506 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 42 laps.

Lead Changes:  8 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Zilisch # 1-39;W. Sawalich # 40-46;J. Allgaier 47-74;A. Almirola 75;C. Zilisch # 76-114;N. Leitz 115-116;C. Zilisch # 117-147;A. Almirola 148;C. Zilisch # 149-160.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Connor Zilisch # 4 times for 121 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 28 laps; William Sawalich # 1 time for 7 laps; Aric Almirola 2 times for 2 laps; Nick Leitz 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 88,19,18,7,48,41,21,2,54,16

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,19,88,18,2,21,20,16,48,41