Zilisch Starts, Kligerman Finishes to Win at Wet and Wild Daytona

August 23, 2025

Race 24 of 33: Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway
Track Specs: 2.5-mile superspeedway / 100 laps
Race Winner: Connor Zilisch
Smith’s finish: 2nd
Allgaier’s finish: 3rd
Kvapil’s finish: 10th

Connor Zilisch

Parker Kligerman captured the checkered flag on Friday evening in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway in a relief effort for Connor Zilisch, who was scored as the race winner. Zilisch, competing with a broken collarbone, started from the pole after weather cancelled qualifying. When the first caution waved on lap 13, Zilisch came to pit road and relinquished the seat to NXS veteran Kligerman. When the race went back to green, Kligerman restarted 31st on lap 23 and began to pick his way through traffic. He was up to 23rd when Stage One ended at lap 30 and remained on the track, moving up to second when the race restarted at lap 35. Kligerman led two laps early in Stage Two and recovered from getting shuffled out of line midway through the segment to finish 11th when the stage ended to finish 11th when the stage ended at lap 60. He pitted on lap 63 for four tires and adjustments to aid his loose-handling Chevrolet. Speedy service on pit road by the WeatherTech crew moved him up to fifth place for the restart at lap 71. From there, Kligerman ran at or near the front of the lead draft. He took the lead for the first time at lap 95 and led the final 10 laps to secure the checkered flag and win for the No. 88 team.

“I wish I didn’t have to get out of the car but if there was anyone that I wanted to drive this car today it was Parker Kligerman. There was no one I’d rather hand over my car to and I was excited to watch him. It stinks getting out of a very fast WeatherTech Chevrolet, but I knew Parker would do a good job. Tonight was definitely a team win and I’m so proud of everyone on this No. 88 team.”

Sammy Smith

Friday night’s run at Daytona International Speedway produced an eventful NASCAR Xfinity Series race full of weather delays, on-track incidents and a 1-2-3 finish for JR Motorsports with Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet finishing second. Smith led 18 laps throughout the Wawa 250 while also capturing a stage win and a valuable playoff point in Stage One.

Lightning cancelled NXS qualifying on Friday afternoon, putting Smith third on the grid for the race. The driver of the No. 8 kept his Pilot Chevrolet on the front row of the draft all the way through the opening segment and captured the green-and-white checkered flag along with 10 stage points and a very valuable playoff point. Stage Two took a different turn when he was caught in an on-track incident while fighting for position in the top five with just two laps remaining in the stage. Fortunately, the damage was minimal and the pit crew did a great job of keeping their driver focused on driving back to the front in the final stage.

Smith restarted 29th in the final stage and immediately got to work with the guidance of his spotter to advance through the field. After 20 laps, Smith broke into the top 10 and continued to work back to the front through two more cautions. The JRM driver restarted seventh with three laps to go and went on a mission to charge forward, drafting into the top three and ultimately taking the checkered flag in the runner-up position.

“It was a great day overall and I was very happy with our car. We took on some damage when we got spun but I think it got even faster after that. I’m really proud of everyone on this No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet team. Each JRM driver worked really well together today and we just need to keep that up and bring it to Talladega as we continue to work toward the Playoffs.”

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Hellmann’s/Round Canopy Parachuting Team Chevrolet, scored a solid third-place finish in Friday evenings NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway. Allgaier ran inside the top five throughout the 100-lap feature, earning stage points at the end of Stage One and securing the green-and-white checkered flag in Stage Two for his ninth stage win of the season. During the third and final stage, Allgaier drafted well with JR Motorsports teammates Parker Kligerman and Sammy Smith before finding himself fighting for the race lead on the final lap. Racing wheel-to-wheel with Kligerman entering the first corner, Allgaier looked to power into the top spot. However, a caution as the field ran through Turns 3 and 4 thwarted Allgaier’s quest for victory. In the end, Allgaier crossed the finish line for the final time in third. With the top-three finish, Allgaier reassumes the lead in the championship standings with two races remaining in the regular season.

“Tonight was a solid night for our Hellmann’s/Round Canopy Parachuting Team Chevrolet. We had a lot of speed and were able to run up front and get a stage win. It feels good to come away from here with a top-three finish and it’s really cool to see JRM go 1-2-3.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Jarrett Chevrolet, rolled off from the sixth position for his second start at Daytona International Speedway on Friday evening. Qualifying was cancelled due to weather, so the lineup was determined by the NASCAR rule book. Utilizing the draft, Kvapil maintained his position in the top 10 until weather forced the field down pit road under a red flag on lap 21. After a lengthy delay, the race was able to resume, but unfortunately, Kvapil sustained damage during an on-track incident on the final lap and had to come down pit road early for repairs. After rejoining the tail of the field to start Stage Two, Kvapil had to make another green-flag trip down pit road and rejoined the tail of the field once again, two laps down. Unable to keep up with the draft, Kvapil would lose one more lap. Finishing out the remainder of Stage Two, Kvapil regained one of his laps by opting not to come down pit road and taking the wave-around. Restarting the final stage in 27th, Kvapil held onto the draft and avoided several more on-track incidents which would help him make his way back onto the lead lap. The 22-year-old rookie would line up one final time just outside the top 20 for NASCAR’s version of overtime. Coming to the checkered flag, Kvapil methodically maneuvered through a multi-car incident in Turns 3 and 4 to cross the finish line in 10th. With the finish, Kvapil now 120 points above the playoff cutline with just two races remaining in the regular season.

“We were set up to have a great day, so I hate that we ran into trouble so early. So thankful for this No. 1 Jarrett team for keeping us in the fight and giving me a car capable of making it back to the top 10. While it wasn’t the day we hoped for, we were able to get some points in the end and we’re going to turn our focus to Portland next week.”