Lucky 13 rides along with the driver who qualifies 13th, keeping an eye on how their race unfolds. This driver could be sent to the back of the pack and still pull off a victory, or their luck could take a nosedive early in the race. With luck on their side – or against them – anything can happen! So, grab your four-leaf clovers, your lucky horseshoes, and maybe even a rabbit’s foot for the latest Lucky 13! Will it be fortune or misfortune? Let’s find out!
Ag-Pro 300
Driver: Connor Zilisch
Organization & Number: JR Motorsports, #88
Crew Chief: Mardy Lindley
Spotter: Josh Williams
“Let’s be cautiously aggressive.” – Mardy Lindley
Stage 1
Coming to the close of the opening lap of the Ag-Pro 300, Connor Zilisch found himself sitting bottom of three as he had fallen to P18.
However, two laps later, he worked back to P14 and was running the inside lane.
Lap 5 found Zilisch in P10, but running four wide. Drivers kept it clean, and he settled in at P12.
Five laps later, the first seven cars were single file, but further back, it was two- and three-wide as Zilisch dropped into the 20s.
The shuffling continued, and Zilisch found himself in P23 with nine to go in the stage. Two laps later, he was running the inside lane and trying to push his line to the front from P16. As he took four to go, he returned to his starting position of P13.
It was a three-wide race to the stage finish, which saw Silisch finish in P14.
He noted, “I just can’t break the bubble.” Lindley informed his driver of some changes coming his way, and the No. 88 team got ready.
Stage 2
His crew quickly got him off pit road and into P7 to start the second stage.
Zilisch said, “I’ll probably pick behind Austin [Hill] and just follow him on up.”
Spotter Josh Williams worked to help his driver gain ground. There was almost a dust-up as Nick Sanchez got squirrelly, but Zilisch quickly found himself in P4.
A few seconds later, he found himself back in P10 as Aric Almirola brought the middle line through. With 10 to go in the stage, Zilisch was holding steady in P8, waiting for the perfect time to make a move.
Unfortunately, with five to go, he found himself dropping like a rock and running P21. The tides change quickly at Talladega, and with two to do, he was back in P8.
He gained two more spots to finish the stage P6.
Lindley asked, “What do you need to win the race?”
Zilisch said, “It’s a little draggy. It’s not bad, I just need to make better decisions.”
Stage 3
The rookie came to his team for adjustments, fresh tires, and fuel. Following a lengthy stop, Lindley said, “We had to take our licks here, because of the last stop coming up.”
The green waved, and Zilisch rolled from P8, gaining three spots on the restart.
With 44 to go, green flag pit stops started, shuffling the field significantly. One lap later, Zilisch was called to the pits and returned to the track in P21. In seven laps, thanks to pit strategy, he was running P10 again.
Facing 35 to go, the first caution for an incident was out, and Zilisch was sitting P11. When the restart came with 28 to go, he jumped to P4 and settled in at P10. Before long, he was back in P5 and running three-wide.
To the Front
In another half lap, he was sitting P2.
After falling to P3, he got a shove from Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier to claim the lead.
With 20 to go, the series rookie got massive learning experiences with sidedrafting and lapped cars, but managed to hold the lead for another three laps. Despite falling back, he worked back to P2.
He was running P3 when the caution once again came out. With 13 to go, Almirola, Katherine Legge, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and Brandon Jones all collided.
Lindley said, “Car looks good out front!”
With that, Zilisch lined up on the front row for a restart with six to go. He was given a push to the lead with the green flag and quickly linked up with his teammates.
Over the next two laps, he participated in a masterclass in staying hooked up while leading.
Behind him, drivers were four-wide, and with two to go, Zilisch was racing teammate Allgaier for the lead.
White Flag
On the backstretch, after taking the white flag, Zilisch attempted to protect his run but suddenly slammed into the inside wall after contact with Jesse Love. The caution waved, and Zilisch was screaming about his back over the radio.
Once checked and released from the in-field care center, Zilisch had the following to say:
Hear from the driver of the No. 88. https://t.co/MJqwJchE7z pic.twitter.com/9oaTxNd4zI
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 26, 2025
Sponsor Shout-out + Social Round-up
NASCAR fans know sponsors make the sport go ’round. We want to shout out WeatherTech, who played a huge part of the weekend for Connor and the No. 88 team.
Be sure to give Connor Zilisch (Facebook, Instagram, X) and JR Motorsports (Facebook, Instagram, X) a follow to keep up with the latest news from the driver and team.
