The weather was perfect in Watkins Glen for the Mission 200. In what was his very first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Connor Zilisch was the fastest in practice and qualifying so he started the race in the pole position. In his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start, he sat on the pole and then won the race. He hoped for a similar result today. The stage lengths were 20 laps, 20 laps, and 42 laps for the final stage.
Youth in Charge
A clean start left Zilisch scampering away with the lead out of turn one. Ty Gibbs settled into second place with Justin Allgaier behind him. They separated themselves from AJ Allmendinger in the fourth spot. Gibbs tried to keep the leader within arm’s length but Zilisch was just too fast. Sammy Smith complained of engine issues early in the stage. Then, Riley Herbst missed the bus stop chicane so he had to bring his car to a complete stop to serve his penalty. He was trying to pass Jesse Love and carried too much speed into the turn.
Zilisch built himself a nice eight-second lead and did not slow down. Gibbs and Allgaier battled for position in second and third, but Gibbs pitted before the end of the stage. He was also having radio issues.
Shane Van Gisbergen pitted and had a tough time getting to his pit stall. He lost time and almost fell a lap down to Zilisch. Zilish led every lap and won the first stage of the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen!
Frustration for Some
Gibbs and Allmendinger restarted the race on the front row. Zilisch restarted thirteenth. Gibbs got a great restart but Allmendinger did not give in and took the lead.
NASCAR Cup Series regular William Byron moved under Sam Mayer and into the third spot. Allmendinger held up those behind him as second through fifth stacked up behind the leader. Byron passed Gibbs for second and looked to take the lead. Zilisch made his way into eighth as he passed Creed.
Leland Honeyman blew his right rear tire and spun through the bus stop, but no caution was called. Allmendinger expressed some frustrations with himself and his car. He and his teammate, SVG, were not as fast as they were used to. Zilisch got by SVG and Allgaier and into fifth, gaining eight positions since the restart.
Allmendinger and SVG pitted before the stage ended. Zilisch got around Mayer, his teammate, for the third position. But, Byron, ahead by four seconds, won the second stage at the Glen! Gibbs and Zilisch were second and third.
Not for Others
Byron and Gibbs restarted on the front row with Zilisch in fourth. Gibbs got a great restart on the inside. Byron got some contact from Zilisch and lost several spots. Mike Skeen and Allgaier got into a gravel pit. Allgaier was unable to get out, so the caution was thrown. Gibbs, Mayer, and Zilisch missed the bus stop chicane under caution. The penalty for that sent them to the rear of the field.
Byron and Cole Custer restarted on the front row. Custer got a fantastic restart and took the lead out of turn one. SVG was behind them in third. Byron pulled beside Custer on the front stretch and dove into turn one to take back the lead.
SVG got by Custer and set his sights on the lead. Byron pitted for the final time from the lead for tires and fuel. With that, SVG assumed the lead. Zilisch, after starting in the rear from his penalty, moved into fifth after passing Jesse Love.
Fuel Saving and Cautions
SVG pitted with fifteen to go in the race. Zilisch was ten seconds behind him so he retook the lead. SVG got dinged with a speeding penalty. Sheldon Creed pitted from second position and came out of the pits in eighth. Suddenly, Matt DiBenedetto stopped with mechanical issues in the bus stop which brought out the caution.
Zilisch and Gibbs restarted on the front row. Allmendinger tried to get on the inside in turn one but was unable to get by Zilisch. Byron got spun out in the back of the field. Anthony Alfredo, Austin Hill, and Josh Williams all wrecked which brought out another caution. NASCAR decided to red-flag the race to allow for cleanup.
More Cautions and Fuel Saving
Zilisch and Mayer took the green flag for the restart on the front row. They both had a great restart. Zilisch used his and Mayers wheels to make turn one. Gibbs appeared to run out of fuel and stopped at the exit of the pits. A wreck between Brandon Jones and Skeen brought out the caution. All drivers were reminded to save fuel.
Zilisch and Mayer were on the front row again for the overtime restart. Zilisch snatched the lead out of turn one. A three-wide fight behind him allowed Zilisch to scamper away. Allgaier got spun around in the bus stop runoff and SVG moved into second place.
Creed drove underneath SVG, Chandler Smith, and Allmendinger and into second place. A massive pileup on the backstretch brought out the final caution.
With that, Connor Zilish became an Xfinity Series winner! Creed finished in second place for the twelfth time in his career.
Marvin’s Moment
Connor Zilisch turned eighteen this past summer. He is already the best road course racer in the Xfinity Series. I am curious to see how he does against the field on ovals. He has so much talent on road courses that can get him into the playoffs but he must show his abilities on the ovals to win the championship. He is the newest Red Bull driver and gave them a trophy in his first race. Certainly, he will be a force in a JRM car next season.
