Race 25 of 33: Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International
Track Specs: 2.45-mile road course / 90 laps
Race Winner: Connor Zilisch
Allgaier’s finish: 7th
Smith’s finish: 19th
Mayer’s finish: 20th
Jones’ finish: 28th
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch kicked off his NASCAR Xfinity Series career at JR Motorsports in dominating fashion, qualifying in the pole and scoring the victory in his first career start on Saturday afternoon at Watkins Glen International. Early in the final stage, Zilisch had to overcome a penalty for driving through the chicane while under caution, which sent him to the tail of the longest line. Despite the setback, Zilisch would not be denied. Pitting for the final time at lap 47, Zilisch not only had to race his way to the front but had to save enough fuel to make it to the end of the race. He did so, holding on through a flurry of overtime restarts to secure the first checkered flag of his NXS career.
“This is so special. I don’t know how I saved enough fuel. I sputtered up the hill with two to go and didn’t know if I was going to make it back. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me, and thanks to Carolina Carports for coming on board for my debut. Coming into today, I just wanted to run all the laps. I ran all the laps and I came home with a win too. It’s special to come out here and win my first race, and I hope it’s the first of many.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, rallied back from an off-track excursion during the final stage of Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Watkins Glen International to take the checkered flag in the 17th position. Allgaier, scored valuable stage points at the conclusion of both Stage One and Two and was battling for position inside the top 20 prior to being knocked off the track and into the sand trap. Fighting back to earn the top-20 result, Allgaier was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 43 points with one race remaining in the regular season next week at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the Illinois native is the defending race winner.
“It was great to be able to rally back there at the end with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Although this wasn’t the finish we were hoping for, it feels good to know that we were able to extend our lead in the points with just one race left in the regular season. Hopefully, we can execute the way we have in the past at Bristol and get ready to get these playoffs under way on a strong note.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, was set to start 17th in the 38-car field at Watkins Glen International on Saturday afternoon. Smith quickly reported a mechanical issue after five laps around the 2.45-mile road course. He fought through Stage One where he was one position shy of earning stage points. The JR Motorsports crew diagnosed that it was a broke right rear shock absorber. Due to necessary repairs on the right rear, the No. 8 went a lap down as the field took the green to start Stage Two. Smith was granted the free pass in the final stage, which lined up perfectly with a pit cycle for the field, and allowed the JRM driver to work his way up to 12th. Over the closing laps, Smith battled through a flurry of green-white-checkered attempts, ultimately surviving the carnage to take the checkered flag in the 19th position.
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 10X Health Chevrolet, set his team up for a successful day at Watkins Glen International with a solid fifth-place qualifying lap after advancing to the second round. Mayer held position up front and stayed in contention for the majority of the day until a penalty at the start of the final stage sent the JR Motorsports driver down pit road under the yellow flag for four fresh tires and fuel to set his charge to the front with 30 laps remaining. The driver of the No. 1 Camaro wasted no time climbing through the field, as he saw the top 10 just 10 laps later. A few caution periods later, Mayer was told to save as much fuel as possible heading into double overtime as he lined up on the front row next to teammate Connor Zilisch. Mayer fired off on the final restart, but unfortunately fell a lap short on fuel and ultimately settled for a 20th-place finish at Watkins Glen.
“We did everything right today and these guys gave me such a fast No. 1 10X Health Chevrolet. We just came up a little short as everyone was battling at the end there. I think we have gained a ton of momentum this weekend and I know we will be ready for another shot in Bristol.”
Brandon Jones
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards/Pelonis Chevrolet, was poised for a strong finish Saturday afternoon after qualifying in the 16th position at Watkins Glen International. After running within the top 10 for the majority of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event, Jones was collected in a multi-car incident that badly damaged the rear of his JR Motorsports Camaro and rendered him unable to make it to the finish. With one race left in the regular season, Jones heads to Bristol Motor Speedway looking to capture the checkered flag to secure his place in the NXS Playoffs.
“This No. 9 team put in a lot of work coming into the weekend to make sure we unloaded a fast race car and it felt great to run up towards the front. Adam (Wall, crew chief) had a great strategy to put us in position at the end, but unfortunately we got caught up in someone else’s mess at the end. We plan to regroup and be ready for Bristol next week to finish out the regular season.”
