Connor Zilisch is currently relaxing in the NASCAR offseason after completing a historic rookie year in the Xfinity Series. He won ten races throughout the season, but sadly, could only finish second in the standings after failing to get the better of Jesse Love in the Championship 4 race at the Phoenix Raceway.
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This has put Zilisch on a list filled with elite drivers who failed to win the championship despite winning ten or more races in a season. In 1985, Bill Elliott won 11 races in the Cup Series. But he finished as the runner-up to Junior Johnson, who was crowned champion. In 1993, Rusty Wallace won ten races and still only finished in second place after failing to overcome Dale Earnhardt.
Jeff Gordon went through something similar in 1996. He won ten races that year and settled for runner-up in the final standings. The season is still remembered greatly for the massive upset that Terry Labonte caused by defeating Gordon.
Zilisch is the final notable name along these lines. Despite the negative shade of the stat, his achievement speaks volumes about his caliber and potential.
Notable NASCAR seasons where a driver won 10+ races but did not win the championship
1985 Cup: Bill Elliott (11 wins, 2nd in standings)
1993 Cup: Rusty Wallace (10 wins, 2nd)
1996 Cup: Jeff Gordon (10 wins, 2nd)
2025 Xfinity: Connor Zilisch (10 wins, 2nd) pic.twitter.com/rpiEmkOkch— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) November 2, 2025
Zilisch told the media during the 2025 NASCAR Awards, “I’ve come to terms with what’s happened. And at this point, I can’t do anything about it, so there’s no reason to hang on to it. I mean, it’s life. The sun came up Sunday morning, and the world kept spinning.”
At the end of the day, the JR Motorsports driver is just glad that he did everything he could along with his crew.
What’s next for Zilisch?
Losing a title after getting so close to it is bound to be heartbreaking. But Zilisch must remember that this won’t be the last time he gets such a clear shot at the championship. In 2026, he will be joining the armada of Trackhouse Racing. He will be teammates with Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen in the NASCAR Cup Series.
This is a big step ahead in Zilisch’s career. The 2025 Cup champion Kyle Larson and runner-up Denny Hamlin appear to have had some strong advice for him at this juncture. Zilisch revealed, “Kyle Larson texted me. And he just said, ‘This isn’t going to change your career. I know it sucks.’”
“And you know, he wrote me a nice message. Denny texted me that night, kind of similar. So yeah, I mean, there were a few people that reached out that it means a lot to hear from.”
Hopefully, Zilisch takes their advice and gets to the Cup Series stronger than ever.
