The NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the Circuit of the Americas road course with plenty of big names in the field. Saturday’s race did not disappoint, especially with JR Motorsports showcasing its strength. Despite the spotlight on the team’s 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch, the race also featured plenty of top-level Cup drivers.
This race featured the likes of William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Carson Hocevar, all of whom aren’t afraid to make headlines. Despite the top level of Cup talent. The show was all about the Xfinity Series regulars.
Connor Zilisch Overcomes Penalty to Win COTA Xfinity Series Race
Everyone going into Saturday’s race knew Zilisch was going to be the driver to beat, especially since he was the fastest in practice and also won his second-career pole on Friday. So, he wasn’t only the favorite for the race on Saturday; Connor’s chances of winning were simply inevitable. It certainly started well, as he started P1 and jumped out ahead of everyone during the race’s opening stage.
Despite the quick jump, things quickly started to shake out differently, especially elsewhere on the track. Carson Hocevar, who got on the nerves of his fellow Cup competitors last weekend at Atlanta, found his day quickly ended on Saturday, as a bump from Jeb Burton sent him into the wall and out of the race three laps into the 65-lap event.
.@CarsonHocevar's #XfinitySeries return ends early after running into the barrier. pic.twitter.com/qGkisinI4V
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) March 1, 2025
Luckily for Hocevar, he can look forward to the Cup race on Sunday. But wrecking out early on Saturday certainly wasn’t a good start to the weekend.
Issues Arise for Zilisch
After that early incident, the racing quickly picked up as Zilisch continued to lead; in fact, he was looking like he was getting comfortable out front when some trouble struck. As he came to the pitlane, he was busted for a commitment line violation before the first stage ending. So, he was certainly put behind the eight ball fairly early into the race. That certainly didn’t dampen his drive and fight, though.
Setback for @ConnorZilisch as he takes a penalty for entering pit road under a red light. #XfinitySeries pic.twitter.com/651ONsaDUa
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) March 1, 2025
After the stage break, Zilisch had to restart from 32nd, and despite having to pass a lot of cars, his drive back to the front was fairly easy despite some run-ins with fellow drivers.
Getting Physical on Track
During his drive to get back to the front, Zilisch found himself getting into some entanglements with fellow drivers. The first came during the final stage as he and Corey Heim, a Truck Series regular who has plenty of talent himself, made hard contact that ultimately sent Heim’s No. 24 Toyota spinning.
Connor Zilisch makes an extremely aggressive move on Corey Heim and spins him out.
Now he's got RF fender damage and a tire rub. pic.twitter.com/m9Zd4DbZHO
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 1, 2025
It certainly wasn’t Zilisch’s finest moment. It only led to another incident as Zilisch finally got up to his teammate Carson Kvapil for the race lead on lap 56 of the 65. Kvapil, who is another one of the newest faces of JR Motorsports, was racing his life as well. It went sour the minute Zilisch caught him. The pair of teammates also made contact, as Connor’s No. 88 slipped by for the lead. Carson’s No. 1 car suffered a flat tire and completely derailed a great race for the rookie.
It’s one thing to get a little rough with a non-teammate, but for Zilisch to make contact with his teammate. And also derail his good day probably doesn’t sit well. As for where Connor stood on it, he quickly said he texted each of the drivers he had an issue with following the race, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck.
Despite the issues, Zilisch quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, as he was able to rally from all his problems to claim his second-career Xfinity Series win. He wasn’t happy with the situations he put himself through on the day, as he told NASCAR.com’s Reid Spencer.
” That was way harder than I wanted it to be,” Zilisch said. ” I did not drive a clean race at all… I made way too many mistakes.”
Other Notables
While Zilisch was celebrating his climb back, others weren’t have as great of days including teammate and defending Series Champion Justin Allgaier a cut tire put him behind most of the day. He also caught the ire of Cup Series driver Riley Herbst as he tried to stay on the lead lap during the late laps of Stage 2.
Daytona 500 Champion William Byron was able to drive his Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 to the runner-up finish. Austin Hill and Jesse Love backed up their strong runs from the first two races with Top 10 finishes. Ross Chastain also scored a top 10 in his first race behind the wheel of the JR Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet. Joe Gibbs Racing rookie William Swaliach once again impressed as the highest finishing driver for the team, with a ninth-place finish in just his third start.
Zilisch flexed his muscle and looks to be back on track after two poor finishes at Daytona and Atlanta to start the year.
Featured Image Credit: James Gilbert-Getty Images. 3/1/2025
