19-year-old Connor Zilisch rounded off an incredible Xfinity Series season with a valiant effort to win the championship at the Phoenix Raceway on Saturday. The lad was understandably heartbroken after coming up short to finish behind Jesse Love and Aric Almirola, and letting the title slip between his fingers. Before the curtains drew to a close, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had some strong advice for him.
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The JR Motorsports team owner said, “I don’t know if I can tell him something to make him feel better tonight. He is heartbroken. But there will definitely be worse days at the race track for him. This isn’t the defining moment. There will be hard times in the future.”
Having gone through an iconic career of his own in NASCAR’s top level, Junior knows what is coming.
He continued to note that the sport has a habit of humbling drivers and that Zilisch will most certainly face tougher days in the future. But he also wants the youngster to remember that this won’t be the last time he gets a shot at winning a championship.
He said, “He may get the chance to run for a championship down the road. I don’t want him to think this was his only shot.”
“He is a great kid. He had a great year. I was thankful to be a part of it. This was a great year. We didn’t end with the result and the trophy, but I had more fun this year than I have ever had as an owner.”
That’s some credit that Zilisch will be happy to receive. Hopefully, he will be over this bump and come back stronger in the Cup Series next season with Trackhouse Racing.
It was in the final 42-lap green flag run that Zilisch’s dreams of becoming a champion in his rookie season fell apart. He was second to Love off pit road during the final pit stop under caution. On a subsequent restart on Lap 159, he gained the lead. But Love was completely relentless in his pursuit.
On Lap 176, he got to Zilisch’s bumper and moved him out of the way to complete the pass that would make him the champion. On Lap 192, Almirola passed Zilisch and moved the youngster to third place, where he ultimately finished. Regardless of the final outcome, a season with 10 wins is not an achievement that can be taken lightly. Zilisch has a lot to be proud of, as Junior pointed out.
