Dale Jr’s 17-Year-Old Prodigy Secures Pole on Truck Debut at COTA

Connor Zilisch from Spire Motorsports has won the pole position for the XPEL 225 race at the Circuit of the Americas. Zilisch driving the #7 Chevrolet Silverado was the quickest of all the entries on the day as he clocked the fastest lap in the final round. Moreover, in what was his debut run, he also managed to set a new track record.

During the first round of qualifying, the 17-year-old driver clocked a lap of 2:12.084 in Round 1 of qualifying in Group B. This was 1.529 seconds faster than the old record. Joining him in the front row will be Corey Heim. Rounding off the top five positions are Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, and Ross Chastain.

Zilisch is off to a flying start in his debut NASCAR outing

The 17-year-old Connor Zilisch, with his lightning-quick laps in the Truck Series qualifying race, proved his mettle as one of the rising NASCAR star drivers. With this performance in qualifying, Zilisch became the 7th driver to ever win the pole in the Serie’s history.

Moving on to the rest of the field, continuing his strong run, Corey Heim was just 0.7 seconds behind in the No. 11 Toyota. The two drivers will start on the front row for tomorrow’s main event. Taylor Gray from Tricon Garage secured a third starting spot, with Nick Sanchez sharing the second row with Gray in 4th place. Ross Chastain in the Niece Motorsports Chevy truck rounded out the top five spots.

Completing the top ten starting positions for the race, we have Jack Hawksworth in sixth place and Tanner Gray in seventh. Whereas, Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski, and Christian Eckes rounded off the top 10 starting positions. Other notable drivers who will start outside the top 10 are Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum, Ty Dillion, and Jake Garcia. Ben Rhodes and Thad Moffit were the two drivers who failed to post a lap in the qualifying rounds.

Read More: Trackhouse Sensation Connor Zilisch Suffers Photo Finish Loss in Mazda MX-5 Series

While the pole win is a huge boost for Zilisch, he credited his win to the fast-running Spire Motorsports Truck.

Connor Zilisch feels like there is work to do despite bagging the pole award for the XPEL 225 race

Trending

Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Offers a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to His Loyal Fanbase as He Gears Up for His Return With Budweiser

“We Are Not Morning People”- Travel Woes Hit Home for Kyle Busch & Wife Samantha Leaving Son Brexton Grinning

JRM Prodigy & Kelley Earnhardt’s Son Earn Major Backing as Dale Jr.’s Loyal Partners Announce 2025 Return

Rick Hendrick’s Alliance Rumored to Save Chevy Prodigy Who Crashed Kyle Busch’s Party

There couldn’t have been a better start for the 17-year-old driver’s NASCAR racing career. He had already started his racing season on a high, scoring a class victory in the LMP2 in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. He then added yet another win at the 12-hour Sebring event. With the pole in the bag and momentum behind him, Zilisch is looking to get the job done and round off this good start to the weekend with a win tomorrow.

“Its truly a testament to all the people around me, Josh Wise, Scott Speed they work so hard to make me a better race car driver and a better person. The Spire Motorsports team, Brian Patty, everybody back at the shop, killer job. Basically, this thing was driving itself, I don’t even want to take any of the credit for it. It’s awesome to come here in my first race to be on the pole. It’s an honor to be on the pole in my first race but we still have a lot of work to do tomorrow,” he said after the qualifiers.

Given that Zilisch has a proven track record of winning the event he competes in, it won’t be a surprise if he does emerge victorious for tomorrow’s race at the Circuit of the Americas.