Connor Zilisch arrived at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with one goal in mind—making history. The 18-year-old phenom had already set his sights on becoming the youngest winner in NASCAR Cup Series history. But before he could chase that record, he had another challenge: the Xfinity Series race. After two back-to-back setbacks in Daytona and Atlanta, Zilisch had to deliver in COTA, and he did.

The young phenom grabbed the pole in qualifying, showing early dominance. But when the race began, it turned into a battle of resilience. The JR Motorsports driver started from the pole, but an unfortunate pit penalty in the first stage dropped him to the back of the pack. Starting 32nd for Stage 2, his hopes for victory seemed slim. Yet, Zilisch refused to give up. He methodically worked his way through the field, overtaking cars with precise, aggressive moves.

By Lap 30, he had broken into the top 16. Three laps later, he cracked the top 10 and found himself within striking distance when the green flag dropped for the final stage. The defining moment came with nine laps to go. Zilisch, battling teammate Carson Kvapil for the lead, made a daring pass that forced Kvapil wide. This opened the door for Austin Hill and Corey Heim to briefly challenge, but Zilisch held his ground. Despite sustaining heavy damage from earlier contact, he muscled through and took the checkered flag.

Notably, this was no ordinary win. Coming from 32nd to victory on a challenging road course like COTA was a feat unheard of. Zilisch not only locked himself into the Xfinity Series Playoffs but also out-dueled a powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports entry driven by William Byron, who finished second. After the win, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. also praised his young driver. “Very proud of Connor Zilisch and @Mardylindley and the @JRMotorsports team. That battle with Carson made me nauseous. Gonna be a fun but very stressful year!” he wrote on X.

Despite the praise and support, Zilisch is not satisfied with his Xfinity win. The 18-year-old rising star admitted his mistakes and even apologised to fellow drivers for aggressive driving. “That was tough. That was way harder than I wanted it to be. I did not drive a clean race at all. Sorry to everyone that I hit. I was just kind of mentally fogged halfway through that race. Glad we were able to fight back,” he told the media. He further admitted that he would need to make some course corrections to stay calmer. “I’m honestly more frustrated with myself than I am happy. I have a lot to clean up with myself moving forward… I’ve just got to stay calmer from now on,” he further added. Notably, this is Connor Zilisch’s second win in Xfinity, as his first came in his debut race at Watkins Glen in 2024.

With this win, Zilisch will be high in confidence when he takes the wheel of the No.87 Trackhouse Racing car on Sunday. The 18-year-old will race with a single aim: to break Joey Logano’s record of the youngest Cup race winner. However, this won’t be an easy run for him as he will need to battle out many Cup veterans as he starts from 14 place. Notably, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace will start from the front grid.

Meanwhile, behind Connor Zilisch and William Byron, Sam Mayer, another road course specialist, finished third. Austin Hill, who led briefly, settled for fourth, while Christian Eckes rounded out the top five. Ross Chastain, despite showing early speed, struggled to recover from a pit-road speeding penalty and finished eighth. Jesse Love and Taylor Gray had strong runs inside the top 10.

However, Zilisch’s teammate Carson Kvapil’s late tire issue dropped him to a disappointing 23rd after contending for the win. Defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier had a tough day, suffering multiple setbacks, including a tire rub and contact damage. He fought hard to stay on the lead lap but finished outside the top 15.

Here is the final result of Focused Health 250 at COTA:

This is a developing story.