Connor Zilisch put on a clinic during the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen on September 14th, 2024, starting from the pole in his No. 88 NASCAR Chevy Camaro SS and proving he had the speed to seal the deal by winning at the end. Not only did the 18-year-old driver school the rest of the full-time Xfinity Series field, he proved that he was right at home in his first-ever NASCAR start.
A pair of Overtime restarts decided the race at the end. Zilisch, well-known for winning in his class at the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona, led 45 of 90 laps and recovered from a mid-race penalty while managing fuel in the closing laps. However, Zilisch easily sliced back into the lead on the final restart and didn’t look back, crossing the line ahead of Sheldon Creed’s No. 18 Toyota TRD Supra as a yellow flag waved on the last lap, ultimately ending the race.
“I worked so hard for this one,” said an emotional Zilisch in Victory Lane. “I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me, man. I don’t even have words… I don’t know how I saved enough [fuel], I sputtered up the hill… With two to go, I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the line even. I’m going to enjoy this one for a while. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me.”
Zilisch answered a phone call while performing his postrace media conference from none other than JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who told him, “Enjoy this, you never win your ‘first’ again.”
Connor Zilisch is now the second youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series race, following Joey Logano.
AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 NASCAR Chevy finished third, followed by the No. 81 Supra of Chandler Smith in fourth. Shane Van Gisbergen put the No. 97 Camaro across the line fifth. Cup Series regulars Ross Chastain, driving the No. 92 Camaro, and William Byron, driving the No. 17 NASCAR Chevy Camaro, finished sixth and 12th, respectively.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Carolina Carports Chevrolet | 90 | 45 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 2 | 9 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota | 90 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 3 | 3 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Celsius Chevrolet | 90 | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 4 | 6 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Smith General Contracting Toyota | 90 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 5 | 13 | 97 | Shane Van Gisbergen # | WeatherTech Chevrolet | 90 | 14 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 6 | 21 | 92 | Ross Chastain(i) | Protect Your Melon Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 7 | 19 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Borchetta Bourbon Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | Jesse Love # | Whelen Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 9 | 33 | 15 | Joey Logano(i) | Panini Ford | 90 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 10 | 26 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | Chemung Supply Corporation Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 11 | 27 | 32 | Austin Green | 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 7 | 17 | William Byron(i) | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 90 | 16 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 12 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 90 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 14 | 23 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | FUNKAWAY Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 15 | 35 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Rich Mar/Laughlin Family Foundation Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 32 | 42 | Leland Honeyman # | Excite Motorsports Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 17 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | BRANDT Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | 18 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | ASE/Nordic Logistics Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | 17 | 8 | Sammy Smith | Pilot Flying J Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 20 | 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | 10X Health Chevrolet | 90 | 1 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 21 | 15 | 00 | Cole Custer | HighPoint.com Ford | 90 | 6 | Ford Mustang |
| 22 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Sci Aps Ford | 89 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 31 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Frontline Fire Protection Chevrolet | 89 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 24 | 37 | 26 | Ed Jones | Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota | 89 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 25 | 2 | 19 | Ty Gibbs(i) | Starkey Toyota | 89 | 3 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 26 | 8 | 20 | Aric Almirola | Go Bowling Toyota | 88 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 27 | 34 | 14 | RC Enerson | Lucas Oil School of Racing Chevrolet | 85 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 16 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/Pelonis Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 29 | 30 | 35 | Thomas Annunziata | NFPA Toyota | 84 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 30 | 25 | 87 | Mike Skeen | Navy Seal Foundation Chevrolet | 83 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 31 | 28 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Heartbeat Hot Sauce/Norma Chevrolet | 81 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 32 | 38 | 11 | Josh Williams | Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 33 | 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Global Industrial Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 24 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Ferguson Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 20 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | ReMA Ford | 75 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 22 | 45 | Alon Day | JSSI Chevrolet | 57 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 37 | 36 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | Lotze Ford | 54 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 38 | 29 | 36 | Kyle Weatherman | DriveSmartWarranty.com Chevrolet | 15 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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