Despite his relative inexperience compared to Shane van Gisbergen on road courses, Connor Zilisch rose to the occasion at Sonoma Raceway and outdueled the seasoned ace. The 18-year-old held his ground over the final 29-lap green flag stint, fending off SVG to claim the win. While the race featured a handful of tense moments and light contact between the JR Motorsports teammates, both drivers brought their Chevrolets home clean in first and second.
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Zilisch gained the upper hand during the final round of pit stops just before the end of Stage 2. That strategic leap allowed the teenager to seize control in the closing stage and defend his lead. After the race, he tipped his cap to his crew for giving him the car and track position he needed to seal the deal.
Though SVG came up short, the Kiwi was all smiles after racing no-holds-barred with Zilisch. He admitted he could have taken a more aggressive route to victory, but chose not to force the issue.
Post-race, SVG saluted Zilisch on social media, writing: “What an awesome race! I hope everyone enjoyed that. Congrats to @ConnorZilisch, thank you to @QuadLockCase & @JRMotorsports, I had a blast all day, really, really fun. Looking forward to the Cup race tomorrow!”
Fans who appreciate hard-nosed but clean racing applauded both drivers. One fan praised van Gisbergen’s unselfish approach, commenting, “Good job on playing it clean and letting him take the win, and being a team player. You could have pushed him on the last couple of laps, and you both could have ended off track, so getting a 1-2 is still a huge win for the team.”
What an awesome race! I hope everyone enjoyed that. Congrats to @ConnorZilisch, thank you to @QuadLockCase & @JRMotorsports, I had a blast all day, really, really fun Looking forward to the Cup race tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/qDm7Q2g38a
— Shane van Gisbergen (@shanevg97) July 13, 2025
Another echoed that sentiment, writing, “Clean racing is fun to watch. Thanks for giving us something fun to watch.” A third called it “a beautiful war,” lauding the respect shown mid-battle.
They wrote, “Battle after battle, THAT was a beautiful war! IMO, Peak was you giving Sleepy Z room to gather after that tiny bump too much but still kept throwing blows That’s respect and needs to be studied by a lot of the younger racers. That’s core NASCAR. You’re one of us!”
One cheekily suggested SVG raise the bar next time: “You and Connor had a heck of a duel today SVG. Like a true master and apprentice. Heh maybe you’ll have to up the difficulty next time for him then lol.”
Zilisch’s third win of the season moved him up to fourth in the standings. With 617 points, he trails championship leader Justin Allgaier by 69.
