Connor Zilisch Takes Lead Late for Pocono Victory

Connor Zilisch celebrating in Victory Lane after winning at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

LONG POND, Pa. — Connor Zilisch won the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway for his second win of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and his first national series win on an oval.

In the closing laps of the race, Kyle Sieg spun, leading to a restart with just six laps remaining. On that restart, Jesse Love was the leader of the race, but just one lap after the restart, Zilisch took the lead away and cruised to Victory Lane.

“I’ve been dying for this one for a while now,” said Zilisch. “I’ve been so close on the ovals lately. I finished second at Charlotte and second at Nashville.”

Connor Zilisch celebrating in Victory Lane after winning the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

Zilisch led a race-high 34 laps and won Stage 2 en route to his first career oval win. It was also a special victory, as JR Motorsports co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his debut atop the pit box, filling in as crew chief for the No. 88 team, subbing for the suspended Mardy Lindley.

“Hats off to everybody on this team,” Earnhardt said. “It’s been amazing all weekend long. Connor Zilisch is going to be a big deal in this sport for a long time. A lot of fun for me today.”

During his post-race press conference, Zilisch also credited the strategy call during Stage 2 to get up to the lead and secure clean air for his No. 88 car.

Connor Zilisch taking a photo with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane after scoring his second win of the 2025 season. (Photo: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

“We had some really good strategy today to get us out front, and clean air was really important,” Zilisch said. “We started Stage 3 with the lead, and I was able to get a bit of a gap before the (No.) 17 (Chase Elliott) got to second and ran me down. We ended up picking the right strategy. Glad it worked out because I didn’t want to have to yell at him (Earnhardt) after the race for choosing the wrong one.”

Love scored a second-place finish after getting passed by Zilisch for the lead and eventual win late in the race. Love and Zilisch share a strong friendship off the track, so although he did not want to see that No. 88 car get ahead of him, he was still pleased with the speed from his team despite not getting the win.

“That’s the most focused I’ve ever been inside a race car,” said Love. “I did not want Connor to beat me because I’ll have to hear about it for a long time. But that bums me out, I’m not going to lie, but I’m still trying to be grateful we have fast race cars and are in position to win.”

Rookie Christian Eckes came home in third place for his second consecutive top five finish. After a tough start to the season, Eckes has now worked his way up to 15th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings, only 55 points behind the provisional playoff cutline.

Connor Zilisch crossing the start/finish line to secure the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 victory. (Photo: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

“I thought we could win the race,” Eckes said on being inside the top five on the final restart. “On that last restart, it just didn’t go our way. So, that’s just how it goes sometimes. Proud of a good result too.”

Rounding out the top five were Elliott and Ryan Sieg. Finishing inside the top 10 were Carson Kvapil, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Taylor Gray and Justin Allgaier.

The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be next Friday, June 27, at the newly named EchoPark Speedway for the Focused Health 250 at 7:30 p.m. EST on The CW, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Brandon Jones
2. Nick Sanchez
3. Connor Zilisch
4. Ryan Sieg
5. Christian Eckes
6. Sammy Smith
7. William Sawalich
8. Sheldon Creed
9. Jeremy Clements
10. Austin Hill

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Connor Zilisch
2. Taylor Gray
3. Nick Sanchez
4. Jesse Love
5. Christian Eckes
6. Ryan Sieg
7. Justin Allgaier
8. Sammy Smith
9. Carson Kvpail
10. Jeb Burton

Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway Finishing Results