Connor Zilisch delivered a stunning last-corner pass on the final lap to snatch victory from Jesse Love at Watkins Glen International in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.
Defending series champion Jesse Love was trying to stretch his fuel, while Zilisch, on fresher tires, closed in rapidly. Despite damaging his car after cutting through mud, Zilisch never gave up, executing a decisive pass in the final turn to claim the win for JR Motorsports.
This marks Zilisch’s 13th career victory and his third consecutive win at The Glen in the NASCAR O’Reilly series.
Behind the top two, Taylor Gray finished third, followed by Ross Chastain in fourth and Brandon Jones in fifth. Brent Crews, Parker Retzlaff, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Green, and Justin Allgaier completed the top ten.
Love, clearly disappointed, reflected on the loss: “When you really nickel and dime it, there are 100 small mistakes that let him get close. The glaring one was that I had a bad corner.” He added, “What a good mental challenge for me. All I want is to beat Connor here. We’re best friends and we’ve caused each other a lot of pain. I didn’t execute when I needed to. I’m quiet because I’m embarrassed. As a driver, you can’t make those mistakes. It’s embarrassing, but I’ll learn from this and be better.”
Zilisch, who famously fell from his car after last year’s win at The Glen, was far more careful climbing out this time. “That was driving as hard as I could for all 30 laps, trying to make up that gap,” he said. “I wasn’t going to move Jesse in the last corner, but he got in deep and I was able to get by. It’s so cool to come back and get my third Watkins Glen win in a row with JRM. Meaning a lot to get this one for Rodney [Childers] – my third different crew chief here.”
Stage 1
Caruth started from pole after qualifying was rained out but ran wide in Turn 1 while battling Allgaier, allowing Mayer to challenge. Mayer also ran wide, letting Crews take the lead. Patrick Staropoli and William Sawalich went to the garage early with engine issues, while Jeb Burton and Matt Wilson suffered early damage. Zilisch and van Gisbergen made strong moves from the teens, reaching the top five within ten laps. As expected, a group including Zilisch and Caruth pitted just before the scheduled caution, while Crews stayed out to win Stage 1 over Mayer, Allgaier, B. Jones, A. Hill, Caruth, Retzlaff, Chastain, and R. Sieg.
Stage 2
JR Motorsports teammates Zilisch and van Gisbergen started on the front row, with Crews in the third row. Lavar Scott spun in Turn 1, and Jeremy Clements ended up stuck in the tire pack, causing a caution. On the restart, van Gisbergen briefly took the lead from Zilisch before Zilisch reclaimed it. Another caution came when the track needed cleaning after Scott spun again. Zilisch went on to win the stage, barely holding off Crews, followed by van Gisbergen and Allgaier.
