Connor Zilisch Conquers Charlotte ROVAL, Captures 10th Win

Connor Zilisch pops out of his race winning No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet after capturing the Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)

CONCORD, N.C. — The lights were bright, the crowd was loud, and for Connor Zilisch, Saturday night was validation. He locked down his 10th win of the 2025 NASCAR XFINITY Series season in dramatic fashion in the Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, outlasting restarts, strategy gambles and the pressure of a hometown stage to deliver one of the most complete performances of his rookie campaign.

From the green flag through the final caution, Zilisch was the driver to beat. He laid down times no one could match in practice, carried that into qualifying with the pole, and then used sheer grit, racecraft and a fast WeatherTech Chevrolet to lead 61 of the 68 laps. His margin of victory was 1.134 seconds over Austin Green. That stat doesn’t capture every heart-pounding moment, the late restart, the gamble to stick on older tires, the final-lap yellow, but it does show how dominant he was.

When the race was red hot and tension hung in the air, Zilisch didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned into the challenge, managing his own speed while staying aware of his teammates and rivals.

“Yeah, it’s tough to balance that. But I feel like all four of us have a good understanding and we all get along and we know when to be nice and and like today, you know, for instance, we were trying to help the [Nos.] 1 [Carson Kvapil] and the 8 [Sammy Smith] do what they could to get in,” Zilisch said. “There wasn’t much that I could really do to help them, but that was all of our goals coming in was to get the two of them through. So glad that it worked out in that way.

“The 8 had a really good day. Sammy’s done a really good job growing as a road racer, and Carson has done a really good job as well this year. So yeah, it’s really cool and it’s hard. Dale tells us all the time, you know, when you have four fast cars and they’re at the front, there’s going to be times where things happen. But you know, we try to do our best to manage it. And I feel like I’ve if anything, I’ve been one of the culprits of a lot of bad things inside our building. So I’ve tried to become a lot better at treating those guys the right way. And I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit better at that.”

That quote speaks to how tightly wound the JR Motorsports stable is, how drivers are teammates but also competitors, and how Zilisch feels responsibility to balance both roles at such a young stage in his career. Tonight, that balancing act paid off.

Connor Zilisch had a masterclass performance in Saturday evening’s Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)

He started strong, keeping the pole advantage into Turn 1 and building a cushion early. The first caution came on Laps 16–17 when the No. 25 car stalled, bunching up the field. But Zilisch handled the restarts confidently, winning Stage 1 and reestablishing his dominance after green-flag cycles.

Similarly, the second stage ended under caution on Lap 44, and the shuffle of pit strategies gave others brief leads before Zilisch clawed back control by Lap 43.

As the laps wound down, the stakes grew. With three laps to go, a caution for a frontstretch incident by Sage Karam forced teams to make hard decisions — stay out and keep track position, or pit for fresh tires and risk losing too much ground.

Zilisch’s crew trusted their setup and stuck on track, even as a few rivals made the opposite call. On the restart, he built a gap over Green and held it, only for oil to bring out a final caution just as the white flag fell. With the field frozen, Zilisch carried the win to the checkered.

“Sometimes it all comes down to trusting your stuff, knowing your car, and just being aggressive when you have to be,” he said afterward. “It’s awesome. The ROVAL is as a track I’ve raced at once before, a couple years ago. And it’s just a very unique racetrack. So to, to get our 10th win here is is awesome for me, everybody at JR Motorsports and it’s extra special being that it’s a home race.”

Green gave a glowing praise of his own night.

“It’s such a thrill to obviously run good. Being runner-up to Zilisch, he’s one of the best to do it right now. We were as fast as Xfinity Mobile today. I can’t thank the guys at the shop enough. This means the world to me, to race at home. Growing up on the quarter-mile, you always wanted to race on the big track.”

Third-place finisher Sammy Smith, who had to make aggressive moves late to secure his finish, and his playoff berth, summed up the mindset of his team:

“We brought speed. I’m really proud of our effort. I had to make a lot of aggressive moves there, but luckily we were able to make it in. Ready to move to the next round — we put ourselves in a good position to make the Final 4.”

Zilisch’s path to victory wasn’t flawless. He had to navigate around teammates, keep composure on restarts, and manage tires that were not fresh at the end. But those were challenges he met head-on.

Later, reflecting on his ambitions beyond the Xfinity level, he shared a forward-looking view:

Connor Zilisch hopes to graduate from the NASCAR XFINITY Series with winning performances like he had at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)

“I think just being able to race against the best of the best is what I’m most excited for,” Zilisch shared. “Every kid dreams of racing at the highest level, whether it’s F1 or IndyCar or for me, getting to race in the Cup Series, something I’ve dreamed of. So that’s just what I’m most excited for, is to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine and be able to to get the opportunity to go race on Sundays.

“Obviously, I’ve got four races left this year to, to go make the most of. But I am very excited to, to be able to do that next year with Trackhouse. And the organization is doing a lot to try and make a change and grow and build and become one of those big names in the Cup Series.”

And speaking to the physical demands, Zilisch admitted how the cars and punishment differ from Cup but said he’s holding strong:

“No, everything feels okay. The XFINITY cars are probably a little better than the Cup cars in that regard,” he observed. “But you know, we land pretty soft and there’s a lot of travel. So you know, the Cup cars were, you know, the rear travels a lot, you know, smaller and you’re, you’re on the stops a little bit more.

“It’s probably a little more aggressive. But you know, I feel good inside the car. Thankfully, after however many times I’ve hurt myself this year.”

Behind Zilisch, others made strong statements. Green’s runner-up effort is a career night, validating his rise. Smith’s third confirms his tenacity and adaptability on road courses. Kaz Grala in fourth and Connor Mosack in fifth each gave solid runs, especially notable for those running part time or outside the full playoff spotlight.

But the night also carried heartbreak. Several title hopefuls faltered. Austin Hill, who once led late, fell back to 28th. Harrison Burton struggled with brakes and finished 34th. Taylor Gray, just a point behind Sammy entering the race, ended up 13th and was eliminated. Nick Sanchez, likewise, couldn’t produce the finish needed to survive the Round of 12 cut.

Connor Zilisch burns it down after his Blue Cross NC 250 win at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)

By full circle, this night was a statement. Zilisch didn’t just win at home. He executed under stress, outpaced raw talent, and navigated the politics inside his own house to prove that his rookie success is built to last.

The playoff field now tightens heading into the Round of 8, and with Ziilisch in good form coming off a Charlotte victory, he’s not just gunning for wins. He’s gunning for a championship.

Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers

1. Connor Zilisch (R)
2. Jesse Love
3. Justin Allgaier
4. Sammy Smith
5. Carson Kvapil (R)
6. Austin Hill
7. Nick Sanchez (R)
8. Aric Almirola
9. Sheldon Creed
10. Connor Mosack

Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers

1. Jesse Love
2. Sammy Smith
3. Austin Hill (R)
4. Sheldon Creed
5. Carson Kvapil (R)
6. Sam Mayer
7. Alex Labbe
8. Josh Bilicki
9. Sage Karam
10. Connor Zilisch (R)

Connor Zilisch celebrates his 10th win of the season when he conquered Saturday evening’s Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)

Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Race Results

Race Analysis

Cautions: 6 for 13 laps (laps 16-17, 22-24, 28-29, 42-44, 65-66, 68)

Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers — Zilisch 1-15; Mosack 16; Sanchez 17; Zilisch 18-37; Love 38-41; Hill 42; Zilisch 43-68

Fastest Lap: No. 88 Zilisch, Lap 45, 86.702 seconds

Margin of Victory: 1.134 seconds

Average Speed: 72.628 mph Time of Race: 2 hours, 8 minutes, 5 seconds