Connor Zilisch Eyes Noah Gragson’s Mark as Xfinity Playoff Battle Heats Up at Gateway

Connor Zilisch has taken the Xfinity Series by storm, winning eight of his first 25 starts this season, including six of the last seven and three in a row twice. Now, as the series heads to Gateway, Zilisch has a unique record within his reach.

Zilisch will set his sights on joining Noah Gragson and Sam Ard in the record books by becoming just the third driver to bag four consecutive wins in NASCAR’s second-tier series.

Gateway marks the regular-season finale, and will also be Zilisch’s first time on the 1.25-mile intermediate oval course, a factor that could either tip the scales in his favor or throw him a challenge. Still, he will arrive as the overwhelming favorite and points leader with 924, boasting a 20-point edge and 629 laps led on the season.

“I’m looking forward to going to World Wide for the first time this weekend,” said Zilisch, who has strung together 13 consecutive top-five finishes, seven of them wins, since returning from a back injury suffered at Talladega in race eleven.

“Since our win at Portland (last Saturday), that left World Wide as the only track on the current schedule that JRM has not won at, so I’m hoping we can keep the momentum going and cross that off, too. It’s been fun to win a lot of races lately, but we still have to go out and execute and do our job every week.”

Saturday will mark the Xfinity Series’ first visit to Gateway since 2010 for the track’s 15th event. Zilisch’s 13-race top-five streak ties Carl Edwards for the second-longest in series history and sets him apart as the youngest driver to ever post more than five in a row.

Meanwhile, 17 drivers remain in the hunt for the final three playoff berths. Only four can advance on points, meaning if Saturday produces a repeat winner, or a victory from a driver ineligible for the postseason, Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray would secure their spots in the playoffs by default.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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