All the talk in the stock car racing world these past two weeks has been about how good Shane van Gisbergen is. The New Zealander won the Cup Series races at Chicago and Sonoma on consecutive Sundays to prove himself as the best road course driver in the field today. While every driver who races on Sundays bent the knee to him, one who takes the wheel on Saturdays outright refused to do so.
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18-year-old Connor Zilisch gave van Gisbergen the battle of his life in the Xfinity Series races at both venues. In Chicago, he was up there fighting for the win until the final lap before getting shoved out of the way to end as the runner-up. He made amends for that disappointment at Sonoma by defeating the former Supercars champion in a prolonged battle marked by multiple lead changes between the two.
In the wake of the battle in the southern Sonoma mountains, it came to light that the two drivers had simply outclassed the rest of the field by an unbelievable margin. Just how good were they? Combined, they set the 45 fastest laps of the race. Van Gisbergen set his fastest lap on Lap 32 with a time of 1:16.860, while Zilisch clocked his best on Lap 34 at 1:16.909.
Back-to-back weekends of these two battling it out to the checkered flag! pic.twitter.com/hpr21UoWxu
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 12, 2025
Nick Sanchez of Big Machine Racing set the 46th quickest lap by completing Lap 69 in 1:17.443. Following the race, both drivers were full of praise for each other. Zilisch was pleased with the clean battle between them, and van Gisbergen was in awe that such a young driver was putting up a strong fight against him when everyone else was failing.
Van Gisbergen and Zilisch could soon join forces
In the Xfinity Series, van Gisbergen and Zilisch both drive for JR Motorsports this season. This temporary setup could soon become a permanent one under the banner of Trackhouse Racing. The team’s No. 99 driver, Daniel Suarez, has been shown the door following failed negotiations to renew his contract.
Moreover, Zilisch could be his ideal replacement for the 2026 Cup Series season. The expertise with which he has been handling his Xfinity Series season will only give Justin Marks, team owner of Trackhouse Racing, more reason to give him the seat.
Should it happen, Zilisch will be a teammate to van Gisbergen, and that’s a scary thought. At road courses, the top two spots might already be locked in for next season, and the contest could just be for third.
