The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International this Saturday was a chaotic affair that ended with 18-year-old debutant Connor Zilisch in victory lane. Shane van Gisbergen (SVG), one of the favorites going into the race considering his road course mastery, ended up in fifth place after getting caught in a late battle with his Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger.
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SVG restarted fourth during the double overtime restart. The leaders ran wide into Turn 1 and almost immediately began rubbing panels. The close-cut racing allowed Zilisch to create a gap away from the rest of the field and SVG was left behind fighting with Allmendinger for third place. He could only settle for a fifth-place finish after further contact with Chandler Smith.
CONNOR ZILISCH WINS IN HIS XFINITY SERIES DEBUT!@ConnorZilisch is going to be a name in this sport for a long time. The 18-year old saves enough fuel to survive the Overtime attempts for his 1st victory.
What a drive.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/FEprHeL3n2
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) September 14, 2024
One can only imagine the Australian V8 Supercars champion’s potential finishing position had it not been for his teammate’s intervention. However, all is fair from the New Zealander’s point of view.
He teasingly told the press, “Obviously, it’s awkward with a teammate. You never want to race too hard like that. But we lent into each other and then he hit me back and I hit him. It’s hard and then the leader gets away.”
Asked if the aggressiveness was fair, he responded, “I guess so. It’s a green-white-checker. And it seems everyone loses their s**t here. So, I join them.”
Meanwhile, Allmendinger crossed the finish line in third place while Sheldon Creed secured another record-setting runner-up finish. Chandler Smith rounded off the top five by finishing in P4.
SVG hopes to avoid Xfinity mistakes in the Cup Series race on Sunday
The 35-year-old has not written off hopes of winning at ‘The Glen’ this weekend just yet. He has qualified to start Sunday’s Cup Series race in third place on the grid behind Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr.
It will be one of his final premier-tier appearances in 2024 before he takes to it full-time in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet next season. Elaborating on his chances of having a better race on Sunday, he said, “Yeah, really good. Hopefully, that race is a bit cleaner and less mistakes for me. We’ll be fine.”
The upcoming race could be a great opportunity for SVG to get back on track under the purview of the fact that he has just one top-20 finish in seven Cup Series appearances this year. He could also cause a big upset in the playoff standings if he manages to win on Sunday.
So far, Joey Logano alone has fixed his spot in the Round of 12. A driver from outside the title race winning such a crucial fixture is the last thing that the other 15 playoff drivers would want to see.
