Zilisch Outduels Love for Emotional First Oval Triumph at Pocono
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
LONG POND, Pa.—In a day of varying strategies and dramatic restarts among the front runners, JR Motorsports rookie Connor Zilisch prevailed in a late race sprint to the checkered flag in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway – the first oval win of this young talent’s career.
Late race re-starts determined the day and ultimately it came down to a duel between Zilisch and his best friend, last year’s Rookie of the Year, Jesse Love. Zilisch pulled his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet alongside Love’s car as they crossed the start/finish line with four laps to go and then he took the lead for good with three laps remaining – .437-seconds ahead of the field.
It was that kind of resolute day for the 18-year-old Zilisch, who had some key help in his headset from a first-time crew chief. His team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., filled in for the team’s fulltime leader Mardy Lindley, who was serving a one-race suspension.
The two-time Daytona 500 winner Earnhardt, an icon in the sport, not only called the race from atop Zilisch’s pit box, but climbed down and helped out on pit stops too. He was absolutely ecstatic after the race in his debut calling the shots. He’s the fifth crew chief this season to earn his first Xfinity Series victory.
“Just a great job putting us in position to succeed, we had a lot of things go our way, a lot of good luck, good race strategy, had a little help from [his former NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Steve] Letarte,” a grinning Earnhardt said, applauding Lindley’s preparation for the weekend.
“Hat’s off to everybody on this team,” he continued. “It’s been amazing all weekend long. Great race car driver. Connor Zilisch is going to be a big deal in this sport for a long time. A lot of fun for me today.”
Zilisch was similarly exuberant, having to really work hard for this win, his second of the season. Ten caution flags on the afternoon created varying strategies and a real test of restart skills.
“I’ve been dying for this one for a while now, I’ve been so close on the ovals lately,” Zilisch said. “I finished second at Charlotte, second at Nashville.
“And Dale Junior, not too bad on the box,” he said smiling, saying he appreciated Earnhardt’s advice throughout the race. “Pretty cool to have him up there. Thank you so much to the entire JR Motorsports team. … this one is definitely special. I’ve been chasing an oval win for a while now.”
For much of the day, Zilisch’s greatest challenge up front came from former NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who is competing in both the Xfinity and Cup Series races this weekend. Elliott led the most laps – 38 of the 100 compared to Zilisch’s 34 out front.
Elliott and the series’ current championship leader, JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier were up front on a restart with 13 laps remaining. While contending for the lead, they nearly came together and had to take evasive action up the track not to collide.
Love took advantage of the situation and came through from the second row to stake claim to the race lead in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. A caution came out almost immediately after Love moved to the front and that allowed Zilisch to start directly behind him on that final restart – leaving the trophy up to the two friends to decide.
“That’s the most focused I’ve ever been inside a race car, I did not want Connor to beat me because I’ll have to hear about it for a long time,” said Love, with a smile. “Hats off to him. He ran a good race. Once I was able to get a draft I was able to get back to him. But that bums me out, I’m not going to lie, but I’m still trying to be grateful we have fast race cars and are in position to win. Hats off to Connor.”
Another rookie rounded out the top-three with Kaulig Racing’s Christian Eckes claiming a career best third-place finish in the No. 16 Chevrolet. Elliott rallied to finish fourth and Ryan Seig was fifth in his family-owned Ford.
Carson Kvapil, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, rookie Taylor Gray, and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-10.
The reigning series champion Allgaier now holds an 82-point championship advantage on RCR’s Austin Hill, who was collected in an early-race accident and finished 35th.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series moves to Atlanta for Friday night’s Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on the CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hill has won the last three Atlanta races – the most recent this February.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 16
Race Results for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 - Saturday, June 21, 2025
Pocono Raceway - Long Pond, PA - 2.5 - Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 100 Laps - 250. Miles
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Saturday, 6/21/2025 @ 06:15 PM Eastern
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage 1 Pos Stage 2 Pos Pts Status Tms Laps Playoff Pts
1 9 88 Connor Zilisch # Registix Chevrolet 100 3 1 58 Running 3 34 6
2 10 2 Jesse Love Whelen Chevrolet 100 4 42 Running 1 8
3 15 16 Christian Eckes # LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 100 5 5 46 Running
4 1 17 Chase Elliott(i) HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 100 0 Running 3 38
5 5 39 Ryan Sieg Sci Aps Ford 100 4 6 44 Running
6 22 1 Carson Kvapil # Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet 100 9 33 Running
7 6 41 Sam Mayer Audibel Ford 100 30 Running 1 1
8 13 8 Sammy Smith TMC Transportation Chevrolet 100 6 8 37 Running
9 7 54 Taylor Gray # Operation 300 Toyota 100 2 37 Running
10 8 7 Justin Allgaier Carolina Carports Chevrolet 100 7 31 Running 1 10
11 20 27 Jeb Burton Volpi Foods Chevrolet 100 10 27 Running
12 21 51 Jeremy Clements Alliance/All South Electric Chevrolet 100 9 27 Running
13 28 42 Anthony Alfredo Clancy Relocation & Logistics Chevrolet 100 24 Running
14 16 25 Harrison Burton DEX Imaging Ford 100 23 Running 1 3
15 26 11 Josh Williams Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet 100 22 Running
16 19 44 Brennan Poole Members 1st FCU Chevrolet 100 21 Running
17 25 26 Dean Thompson # Uglies Kettle Chips/TPG Toyota 100 20 Running
18 2 20 Brandon Jones Menards/Cheez-It Toyota 100 1 29 Running 1 6 1
19 11 99 Matt DiBenedetto Pocono Mountains Chevrolet 100 18 Running
20 29 45 Mason Massey Mongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet 100 17 Running
21 4 18 William Sawalich # Soundgear Toyota 100 7 20 Running
22 23 4 Parker Retzlaff Finish Powerball Chevrolet 100 15 Running
23 31 91 Josh Bilicki Rita's Italian Ice Chevrolet 100 14 Running
24 36 70 Leland Honeyman Jr. LH Construction Chevrolet 100 13 Running
25 37 28 Kyle Sieg Shop Shades Ford 100 12 Running
26 32 14 Garrett Smithley Priority Tire Chevrolet 100 11 Running
27 38 53 Logan Bearden KitchenAid Chevrolet 100 10 Running
28 3 48 Nick Sanchez # Pickers Vodka Chevrolet 100 2 3 26 Running
29 27 31 Blaine Perkins WERNER Chevrolet 100 8 Running
30 35 07 Patrick Emerling(i) CamelBeach Outdoor Waterpark Chevrolet 100 0 Running
31 18 10 Daniel Dye # Champion Container Chevrolet 100 6 Running
32 24 71 Ryan Ellis Sweetwater Construction Chevrolet 100 5 Running
33 34 74 Dawson Cram Realty.com Chevrolet 99 4 Running
34 33 35 Carson Ware Costa Oil Ford 99 3 Running
35 14 21 Austin Hill Global Industries Chevrolet 96 10 3 Running
36 12 00 Sheldon Creed Road Ranger Ford 88 8 4 Accident
37 30 5 Kris Wright First National Bank, Corp. Chevrolet 69 1 Suspension
38 17 19 Justin Bonsignore TW Cable LLC Toyota 7 1 Engine
Fastest Lap Bonus: # lap 77 / 54.741
17
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 24 Mins, 37 Secs. Average Speed: 103.722 MPH Margin of Victory: .437 Seconds
Stage 1 Top 10: 20, 48, 88, 39, 16, 8, 18, 00, 51, 21
Stage 2 Top 10: 88, 54, 48, 2, 16, 39, 7, 8, 1, 27
Race Comments: Connor Zilisch has won the Explore The Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway, his third victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Prior to the start of the race, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty: Nos. 07, 28, 53 (Unapproved Adjustments), No. 25 (Engine Change).
Failed to Qualify: None.
Caution Flags: 10 for 41 laps; Laps: 5-7 (#10 Spin Turn 3 [None]); 9-13 (Possible Fluid On Track From #19 [None]); 27-31 (Stage 1 Conclusion [07]); 34-37 (#18, 21, 20, 10, 07 Incident Turn 2 [None]); 42-45 (#70 Spin Turn 1 [00]); 52-56 (Stage 2 Conclusion [10]); 72-75 (#14 Spin Turn 2 [10]); 80-83 (#71, 26 Incident Turn 2 [14]); 85-87 (#48, 54, 00 Incident Turn 2 [21]); 91-94 (#28 Spin Turn 2 [48]).
Lead Changes: 10 among 7 drivers; C. Elliott(i) 1-22; B. Jones 23-28; H. Burton 29-31; J. Allgaier 32-41; C. Zilisch # 42-67; C. Elliott(i) 68-71; S. Mayer 72; C. Zilisch # 73-75; C. Elliott(i) 76-87; J. Love 88-95; C. Zilisch # 96-100.
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: June 27, 2025 - EchoPark Speedway
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875
Xfinity Series Points Report
Pocono Raceway
Explore the Pocono Mountains 250
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Saturday, 6/21/2025 @ 07:31 PM Eastern UNOFFICIAL
Rank Driver Car Starts GL Points Ldr Nxt Race Wins Stage Wins Playoff Pts
1. Justin Allgaier 7 16 0 618 0 0 3 6 21
2. Austin Hill 21 16 0 536 -82 82 3 6 21
3. Sam Mayer 41 16 0 518 -100 18 0 1 1
4. Jesse Love 2 16 0 502 -116 16 1 1 6
5. Connor Zilisch # 88 15 0 488 -130 14 2 3 13
6. Carson Kvapil # 1 16 -1 442 -176 46 0 1 1
7. Brandon Jones 20 16 -1 433 -185 9 1 1 6
8. Jeb Burton 27 16 -1 424 -194 9 0 0 0
9. Sheldon Creed 00 16 3 420 -198 4 0 0 0
10. Ryan Sieg 39 16 -3 418 -200 2 0 0 0
11. Sammy Smith 8 16 1 415 -203 3 1 2 7
12. Taylor Gray # 54 16 0 411 -207 4 0 0 0
13. Harrison Burton 25 16 2 400 -218 11 0 2 2
14. Nick Sanchez # 48 16 0 385 -233 15 0 1 1
15. Christian Eckes # 16 16 -2 356 -262 29 0 0 0
16. Daniel Dye # 10 16 1 336 -282 20 0 0 0
17. Dean Thompson # 26 16 1 335 -283 1 0 1 1
18. Josh Williams 11 16 0 298 -320 37 0 0 0
19. Brennan Poole 44 16 0 296 -322 2 0 0 0
20. Jeremy Clements 51 16 0 293 -325 3 0 0 0
21. Anthony Alfredo 42 16 0 273 -345 20 0 0 0
22. William Sawalich # 18 16 -1 247 -371 26 0 0 0
23. Aric Almirola 6 1 238 -380 9 1 1 0
24. Matt DiBenedetto 99 16 0 238 -380 0 0 0 -5
25. Parker Retzlaff 4 15 0 229 -389 9 0 0 0
26. Blaine Perkins 31 16 0 206 -412 23 0 0 0
27. Ryan Ellis 71 16 0 202 -416 4 0 0 0
28. Kyle Sieg 28 16 0 202 -416 0 0 0 0
29. Kris Wright 5 16 0 157 -461 45 0 0 0
30. Josh Bilicki 91 10 0 138 -480 19 0 0 0
31. Garrett Smithley 14 12 0 122 -496 16 0 0 0
32. Leland Honeyman Jr. 70 9 0 110 -508 12 0 0 0
33. Mason Massey 45 8 -1 91 -527 19 0 0 0
34. Joey Gase 7 1 87 -531 4 0 0 0
35. Corey Day 3 0 66 -552 21 0 0 0
36. Nick Leitz 6 0 60 -558 6 0 0 0
37. Thomas Annunziata 6 0 59 -559 1 0 0 0
38. Mason Maggio 7 0 56 -562 3 0 0 0
39. Justin Bonsignore 19 5 -1 55 -563 1 0 0 0
40. Alex Labbe 3 1 54 -564 1 0 0 0
41. Brad Perez 4 0 37 -581 17 0 0 0
42. Greg Van Alst 8 0 33 -585 4 0 0 0
43. Caesar Bacarella 2 0 31 -587 2 0 0 0
44. Jordan Anderson 1 -1 30 -588 1 0 0 0
45. Austin Green 4 1 30 -588 0 0 0 -5
46. Myatt Snider 3 0 26 -592 4 0 0 0
47. Logan Bearden 53 2 -6 24 -594 2 0 0 0
48. Cj Mclaughlin 3 1 24 -594 0 0 0 0
49. Kasey Kahne 1 1 23 -595 1 0 0 0
50. Jeffrey Earnhardt 2 1 23 -595 0 0 0 0
51. Patrick Staropoli 1 1 21 -597 2 0 0 0
52. Ryan Truex 1 1 20 -598 1 0 0 0
53. Jesse Iwuji 1 1 17 -601 3 0 0 0
54. Carson Ware 35 3 -2 15 -603 2 0 0 0
55. Sage Karam 2 1 14 -604 1 0 0 0
56. Vicente Salas 1 1 13 -605 1 0 0 0
57. David Starr 1 0 11 -607 2 0 0 0
58. Dawson Cram 74 3 -1 11 -607 0 0 0 0
59. Jj Yeley 1 1 9 -609 2 0 0 0
60. Preston Pardus 1 0 1 -617 8 0 0 0
61. Baltazar Leguizam?n 1 0 1 -617 0 0 0 0
62. Ruben Rovelo 1 0 1 -617 0 0 0 0
63. Kyle Larson(i) 3 0 0 -618 1 2 2 0
64. William Byron(i) 2 0 0 -618 0 1 3 0
65. Alex Bowman(i) 1 0 0 -618 0 0 1 0
66. Chase Elliott(i) 17 2 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
67. Riley Herbst(i) 2 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
68. Ross Chastain(i) 3 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
69. Corey Heim(i) 3 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
70. Patrick Emerling(i) 07 6 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
71. Austin Dillon(i) 1 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
72. Ty Gibbs(i) 1 4 0 -618 0 0 0 0
73. Chase Briscoe(i) 1 -1 0 -618 0 0 0 0
74. Christopher Bell(i) 2 -1 0 -618 0 0 0 0
75. Andres Perez De Lara(i) 1 2 0 -618 0 0 0 0
76. Katherine Legge(i) 4 -2 0 -618 0 0 0 0
77. Carson Hocevar(i) 1 -2 0 -618 0 0 0 0
78. Tyler Tomassi 0 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
79. Glen Reen 0 0 0 -618 0 0 0 0
80. Jake Garcia(i) 0 -1 0 -618 0 0 0 0
81. Daniel Su?rez(i) 1 1 0 -618 0 1 0 0
-Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
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