Race 16 of 33: Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway
Track Specs: 2.5-mile triangular oval / 100 laps
Race Winner: Connor Zilisch
Kvapil’s finish: 6th
Smith’s finish: 8th
Allgaier’s finish: 10th
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch grabbed his second victory of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. Zilisch took the lead with five laps to go and held off the competition down the stretch to win for the third time in 19 career starts. The victory came in his first start at Pocono and was his first triumph on an oval. Zilisch won with team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. filling in as crew chief for Mardy Lindley. After qualifying ninth, Zilisch finished third in Stage One despite the balance on the No. 88 Registix Chevrolet being too snug on the exit of all three corners. He pitted during the stage caution on lap 31 and restarted in the ninth position when the race went back to green. Zilisch ran near the front of the pack for much of Stage Two and was running third when the two cars ahead of him made the strategic move to pit late in the stage. Zilisch, on a different strategy, stayed out and won the stage. He remained on the track when the race went back to green on lap 56 and led the race until he made a scheduled green-flag pit stop at lap 68. A caution came out soon after, at lap 72, which was fortunate for Zilisch and the Registix team and allowed him to cycle to the lead once the cars ahead of him made their stops. Zilisch was running third when JRM teammate Justin Allgaier and Chase Elliott made contact on a restart in Turn 1 on lap 88, but was able to avoid both cars. On lap 96, Zilisch made a power move around leader Jesse Love to grab the top sport and never looked back, officially crossing the finish line .437 seconds ahead of the field to secure the victory.
“I’ve been dying for this one for a while now because we’ve been so close on ovals lately. I finished second in Charlotte, second in Nashville. Dale Jr. did a great job today on the pit box and it was so cool to have him up there. Thank you so much to the entire JR Motorsports team and Registix for coming on board. The Hendrick engine shop does such a great job and makes such great power, especially the last few weeks. I’m very grateful to everyone who makes this possible. It’s an honor to be here and this one is definitely special. I’ve been chasing the oval win for a while now. It was pretty funny because Dale Jr. was giving me some advice on those restarts late in the race. Advice from him is advice well-taken for me. It was really cool to have him on the box today and to get him a win as a crew chief is awesome. Mardy (Lindley) did everything right to set this up and I wish he could have been on the box today.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, rallied back after qualifying in the 22nd position for Saturday’s 100-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series feature at Pocono Raceway to finish just outside the top five in sixth. Taking the initial green flag outside the top 20, Kvapil went to work, moving through the field while avoiding several on-track incidents to finish the opening stage in 11th. HE continued to power forward in Stage Two, gaining two more sports at the halfway point to earn valuable stage points. Feeling comfortable with the handling of his Chevrolet, the 22-year-old rookie started the final stage inside the top 20 and within 20 laps had found his way back into the top 10. Avoiding several more on-track incidents over the remaining laps, Kvapil maintained his position solidly inside the top 10 to take the checkered flag in sixth and earn his sixth top-10 finish of the season.
“We had an up-and-down day for sure, but this No. 1 team doesn’t quit and did what had to do to give me a fast piece capable of driving through the field. I learned a lot this weekend and am thankful for Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies for their support. We’re hoping to keep this momentum going for a great finish at Atlanta next weekend.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 TMC Chevrolet, took to Pocono Raceway on Saturday afternoon with the NASCAR Xfinity Series under the intense Pennsylvania heat. Smith qualified 13th and finished eighth, racking up valuable stage points throughout the race.
Smith took the green flag in 13th and competed inside the top 10 through multiple cautions and a pit cycle of teams flipping the stage. The No. 8 crew maximized on the opportunity and stayed out to finish sixth in Stage One. The JRM driver kept his TMC Chevrolet in the top 10 for the entirety of the second stage. Battling a free-handling car on the “Tricky Triangle,” Smith fought throughout the 25-lap second stage to finish eighth and accumulate additional stage points.
The No. 8 TMC Chevrolet started in 16th for the final stage after pitting for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to revert back to the more secure handling he had in Stage One. Smith and his team strategized through four cautions in the last 50 laps of the event and were able to charge up to eighth at the finish.
“Our No. 8 TMC Chevrolet had speed today. They don’t call this place tricky for no reason and for us to run in the top 10 all day shows we were competitive, but it was just really tough to find the balance here. I am proud of the car my guys brought to the track today, just wish I could have given them and TMC the finish they deserve. We’ll learn from it and direct our focus on Atlanta.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Carolina Carports Chevrolet, scored his series-leading 11th top-10 finish of the season on Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Pocono Raceway. Allgaier, who led 10 laps on the day, earned valuable stage points at the conclusion of Stage Two and overcame a wild scramble on a late-race restart that shuffled the JR Motorsports driver outside the top 10 to secure the hard-fought and resilient 10th-place finish. With today’s result, Allgaier extends his lead in the NXS standings to 82 points as the series makes its return to Atlanta next Friday night.
“Today didn’t go quite as we had planned, but we had a strong Carolina Carports Chevrolet all day long. I wish we could have stayed up at the front there to fight for the win at the end, but I am proud of Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 7 team. Today was a good rebound from last week and it feels like we are back heading in the right direction. We’ll continue to improve from this and be ready to go next week in Atlanta. Big congrats to Connor (Zilisch) on the win and to Dale (Earnhardt JR.) on getting the win as the crew chief. That was pretty cool to see.”