Another Xfinity Pole For Zilisch & JRM No. 88 In St. Louis
Connor Zilisch took the NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at World Wide Technology Raceway. (Rusty Jarrett/Nigel Kinrade Photography)
MADISON, Ill. – The new “Mr. Automatic” of the NASCAR Xfinity Series did it again in Kennametal Pole Qualifying Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Positioning himself to finish off the most unorthodox of regular season championship runs, Connor Zilisch earned his eighth career Xfinity Series pole and seventh of the season in a rookie-dominated qualifying session at the 1.25-mile paved oval.
Zilisch’s time of 32.935 seconds (136.633 mph) in the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports outpaced fellow first-year driver Nick Sanchez by .027 seconds for the top spot of the grid.
It’s the third time this season that the 19-year-old phenom from Mooresville, N.C. – who holds a 20-point edge over teammate and defending series champion Justin Allgaier going into the last race before the playoffs begin – will lead the field to green on an oval.
“We say all the time that track position is important in these races, right? So it’s never a bad thing when you can start this way,” said Zilisch. “It’s such a testament to all the men and women at JR Motorsports and those that work on this [No.] 88 car each week, that we’ve been so consistent the last few months.
“It’s amazing what we’ve done so far, but the real test is going to be at the end of 200 miles tonight.”
Zilisch’s improbable run toward a regular season title has featured eight wins despite a pair of setbacks – a back injury from Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April that forced him to miss a race and a broken collarbone from a victory lane fall at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l in August – that could have easily derailed his entire campaign.
Instead, the teenager who has taken American stock-car racing by storm is in prime position to enter the postseason as the favorite to take the season championship. He’d be the fourth rookie to do so if it happens.
Joining Zilisch on the front row Saturday night is Sanchez, whose lap of 32.962 seconds (136.521 mph) in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Big Machine Racing was good enough for second overall.
William Sawalich (32.963/ 136.517) starts third in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota alongside the Ford of Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer (32.981/136.442), a fifth-year series veteran.
Taylor Gray lines up fifth to make it four rookies in the top five grid spots, followed by Harrison Burton, Aric Almirola, Carson Kvapil, Austin Hill, and Christian Eckes.
Notables deeper in the lineup include Brandon Jones (12th), Allgaier (14th), Sheldon Creed (15th), Jesse Love (18th), Anthony Alfredo (21st), Sammy Smith (22nd), and series debutant Kole Raz (24th).
With 38 cars for 38 starting spots, no drivers missed the field for the Xfinity Series’ regular season finale.
Broadcast coverage of the Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog airs at 7:30 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
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