Winning a race in NASCAR itself is a huge achievement. Pair it with the fact that it was Connor Zilisch’s debut Xfinity Series race, and that becomes a victory that everyone will remember. At Watkins Glen, many interesting incidents unfolded over the weekend. Shane van Gisbergen, who achieved a similar feat only in the Cup Series, was trying to get to the top of the race, but Zilisch held everyone behind him.

Impressed by his performance, many people came forward to congratulate the young driver, including his team boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Along with the former NASCAR driver, Denny Hamlin also joined in to share words of praise. As his teammate, Ty Gibbs also participated in Shriners Children’s 200, Hamlin also spoke about what made Gibbs lose the race.

Denny Hamlin questions the best of the Xfinity stars amid Zilisch’s historic win

It had to be on the ‘Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin’, where the No. 11 driver shared his thoughts on what went down. Like everyone, Hamlin was impressed to see how well the 18-year-old Xfinity debut star drove, and he wasn’t one to keep back the compliments.

“Man, he was just lightning fast,” said Hamlin. “I think he was the fastest car on the racetrack, 90% of the laps that he was on the racetrack. So that includes practice; that includes the race.” Now one thing to remember is that Connor Zilisch started the race from pole position, and he managed to keep his lead for 45 out of 90 laps of the race.

Ty Gibbs, who started right beside the debuting driver, fell many positions, and by lap 13, he found himself 5 seconds behind Zilisch. Looking at how the 18-year-old was driving, Hamlin said, “He was still gapping three to four-tenths of a lap over whoever the second-place car was. And it really didn’t matter who the second-place car was.”

As Hamlin couldn’t stop talking about how impressed he was with Zilisch’s performance, he further noted, “I mean, he drove to the top five, I think, in about 10 laps. It was something just ridiculous. It wasn’t even close. I haven’t seen a butt-whooping like that in XFINITY in quite some time.”

Overall, the weekend at Watkins Glen turned out to be unforgettable, unlike the last time Denny Hamlin saw such dominance in the lower tier of NASCAR. Hamlin spoke about Ty Gibbs’ mistake while racing, saying, “I have no idea what Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer were doing.”

Connor Zilisch’s response to winning at Watkins Glen

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This is not the first time that Zilisch has raced at Watkins Glen. It was only his NASCAR debut there, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is not used to the machinery he was in. Zilisch has dominated on the track before when it was for ARCA, but many fans suggested that he was racing against nobody.

However, at the Xfinity Series race, Connor Zilisch beat not only 1, but 3 Cup Series drivers with plenty of experience under their belt. By winning at the Glen, Zilisch proved that he was made for greater things than Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Wiliam Byron, and Ty Gibbs lost to the debut racer.

Zilisch has an impressive track record so far; this race just adds to his victories. So after the race, he told the media, “I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me, man. I don’t even have words.”

The 18-year-old extended the praises to his team that gave him a chance to race in the series, saying, “I’m going to enjoy this one for a while. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me.”

Do you think he will be able to win the championship during his debut season? Share your thoughts in the comments below.