After what has been a tough start to the year in the Cup Series for Connor Zilisch, the 19-year-old finally managed to get into the Victory Lane with his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of 2026 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Having started 15th, Zilisch spent the opening half of the 300-lap Suburban Propane, focused on just climbing through traffic and slipping through the ranks while the pace of the race was being led by Kyle Larson.
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Larson took control quite early in the race and never seemed to give it up, especially through the first two stages, consolidating his lead in a staggering 230 laps. Larson was the clear leader who seemed comfortable in traffic and also largely unchallenged on the long runs.
Zilisch was the quiet lurker, who by the halfway mark had cracked the top 10, and by the final stage, he was in the top five. What he did that was extraordinary was control. He did not force moves or take risky dives, but rather capitalized on restarts that came through chaotic incidents throughout the race and stayed clean of lapped traffic. This discipline is what dragged him across the line.
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The consequential decision came on lap 273, when a late caution reset the field. A majority of frontrunners, including a lot of the top five, dove to pit road for fresh tires. Zilisch stayed out. That call vaulted him to the lead, but also placed him directly in the crosshairs of Larson, who restarted just behind him with fresher rubber and the fastest car of the night.
The decision to stay out, however, was not blind aggression, not at all. In fact, it was very calculated. Tire wear had been minimal throughout the night, and clean air had consistently outweighed the benefit of fresh rubber.
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July 12, 2025, Sonoma, Ca, USA: CONNOR ZILISCH 88 wins the Pit Boss Food Maxx 250 in Sonoma, CA. Sonoma USA – ZUMAa161 20250712_aaa_a161_096 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x
In the post-race interview, Zilisch added, “We played strategy. Rodney made a great call to keep us out. The tires weren’t wearing much all night, and we were able to get our Roto Rooter Chevrolet the track position that it needed to go out and win the race.”
The eventual win, secured by just 0.703 seconds at the line, was more than just another conquest. It was Zilisch’s first of 2026, his first at Bristol, and the 12th of his career. And this was also apparent to the driver.
“Yeah, man, that was awesome,” Zilisch said immediately after climbing out of the car. “It’s been a tough past few weeks for me in the Cup series, and it feels good to come back down here and remember that I can still do it.” He added, “It’s tough. You finish in the back every week, and you forget who you are, but this feels good.”
“It’s great to come down here in to the O’Reilly Series and remember that I can still do it.”
Post-race comments from an elated @ConnorZilisch. pic.twitter.com/b3jlG3xCLQ
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The race, however, was not just good for him but also for the entire team. It marked Rodney Childers’ first win in the O’Reilly Series with JR Motorsports, a milestone Zilisch was quick to highlight, “Rodney’s won a lot of races in his career, but it’s cool to get one with him. He works really hard, and he’s super smart. So it means a lot to be able to work with him.”
It may seem that the above is a good summary of the race, yet ending it here would be traitorous to true race fans without addressing the second biggest elephant in the room, Brent Crews.
Brent Crews came within nine laps of stealing Bristol from Zilisch
Brent Crews’ third-place finish cannot just be looked at in singularity; the entire purpose must be understood. The Joe Gibbs Racing rookie started at 17th place, which was the highest for a rookie, and not only that, he drove to a career-best O’Reilly Auto Parts Series finish in just his first Bristol start.
Even though Larson dominated the race, Crews was not far behind. By lap 125, he had reached fifth as the lead JGR car. On lap 262, he executed a decisive slide job on Justin Allgaier for fourth, positioning himself 4.5 seconds behind the lead and firmly in contention.
The pivotal point in the race came with 31 laps to go, when a caution for Gray Gaulding forced everyone to quickly change their strategy. Crews made the ultimate decision to stay out alongside Connor Zilisch, gaining track position while Larson pitted for fresh tires. On the restart, Crews immediately became a primary threat. With just nine laps remaining, on lap 291, he surged around the outside to take the lead from Zilisch, briefly putting himself in position to win.
However, this same aggression turned out to be more sour than sweet for the rookie. On lap 293, while he was still pushing the outside line, he unfortunately got sideways off turn 2 and made contact with the wall, allowing both Zilisch and Larson to pass. This led him to finish third. Having shown what he can deliver, it will be interesting to see how Crews fares in the upcoming races.
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Edited by
Godwin Issac Mathew