NASCAR Xfinity at Dover: Connor Zilisch tames the Monster Mile in the rain
DOVER, Del. — Rain tamed the Monster Mile and made Connor Zilisch the winner of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Zilisch claimed his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win after rain cut the race short by 66 laps. He led twice for 77 laps and won the second stage before NASCAR called the race after 134 laps due to rain.
NASCAR called the race at 7 p.m. ET with light rain reported all the way around the track. The race had a predetermined finishing time of 8:10 p.m. ET, making it highly unlikely the race was going to get going again before that time.
TOP-10 FINISHERS (LAP 134): Connor Zilisch, Aric Almirola, Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love, Ryan Sieg, Taylor Gray, Sheldon Creed, William Sawalich, Christian Eckes.
No cautions for cause fell in the bulk of the race Saturday until the caution for rain ultimately ended the race.
Jake Finch and Lavar Scott finished 17th and 28th, respectively, each on the lead lap for the NASCAR Xfinity Series debut.
Nick Sanchez and Ross Chastain finished 37th and 38th after having mechanical issues in the final stage.
Justin Allgaier leads Connor Zilisch in the points by 56. Here is what the playoff cutline looks like after Dover:
- Sam Mayer +162 to the playoff cutline
- Carson Kvapil +86
- Sheldon Creed +61
- Taylor Gray +36
- Jeb Burton +7
- Harrison Burton -7
- Ryan Sieg -30
- Dean Thompson -62
- Christian Eckes -71
DOVER STAGE ONE WINNER: Taylor Gray
Early on, Nick Sanchez, Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain had nothing for Taylor Gray from second, third and sixth, as Gray jumped to the lead from the pole. His three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates filled positions four through five and seventh. Brandon Jones and Aric Almirola soon jumped ahead of Sanchez and Zilisch, making it a JGR 1-2-3 as they raced through lap traffic.
Further back, Zilisch and Chastain’s JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier went from the rear of the 38-car field to seventh in the stage.
Still, JRM couldn’t beat JGR in the stage and Almirola couldn’t beat his JGR teammate. Almirola closed to Gray’s bumper but Gray went flag-to-flag in the first stage for his second career Xfinity stage win.
STAGE ONE TOP-10 (LAP 45): Taylor Gray, Aric Almirola, Brandon Jones, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, Nick Sanchez, Justin Allgaier, William Sawalich, Jesse Love, Sheldon Creed.
Creed edged Ryan Sieg for 10th before the stage caution that saw Josh Williams get the free pass from 32nd.
Under caution, Taylor Gray had a 23.3-second pit stop that dropped him from the lead to 15th.
“The [tire] changer had to chase the car a long way so the hose got underneath the car and when the jack dropped, the hose was stuck underneath it,” Gray was told on the radio.
Meanwhile, teammate Brandon Jones beat Zilisch, Almirola, Allgaier, Sawalich, Love, Chastain, Creed, Sanchez and Ryan Sieg off of pit road.
DOVER STAGE TWO WINNER: Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch took the lead in the first stage while Jones dropped to third behind Almirola and ahead of Allgaier and Sieg who showed strong long-run speed.
On the long run in the second stage, no one had anything for Zilisch. He won the stage by over a second, continuing a strong seven-race stretch that has seen him accrue an average finish of 2.43.
STAGE TWO TOP-10 (LAP 90): Zilisch, Almirola, Jones, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Chastain, Love, Creed, Sawalich, Austin Hill.
The free pass went to Lavar Scott who made his series debut Saturday at Dover with Alpha Prime Racing.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT DOVER FINAL STAGE
Saturday marked the 13th stage-era NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover — and the third to not have a caution for cause. The others, in fall of 2018 and spring of 2019, had two cautions and three cautions respectively in the final stage.
The final stage Saturday fit the occasion of chaos. Kyle Sieg stayed out and led but dropped quickly. Then, Nick Sanchez and Ross Chastain had issues that took them out of the top 10 and to the garage in 37th and 38th — second-to-last and last. Sanchez had steering issues while Chastain had driveshaft issues.
Connor Zilisch picked up where he left off, showing why his ARCA Menards Series East win in 2024 wasn’t a fluke and how he isn’t just a road course ace. Zilisch took the lead by over a second until a caution for rain on lap 132.
NEXT: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 26
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com