Zilisch passes in the final corner to win O’Reilly thriller at Watkins Glen
- TSN MOTORSPORTS INSIDER
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
The conclusion of Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen International was remarkable. Defending series champion Jesse Love was managing his fuel, while Connor Zilisch pursued him on newer tires.
Despite navigating through the mud and sustaining damage to his vehicle, Zilisch managed to overtake Love in the final corner of the last lap, securing a victory for JR Motorsports.
Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen International concluded with a remarkable finish. Defending series champion Jesse Love attempted to conserve fuel while Connor Zilisch pursued him on fresher tires.
Despite navigating through mud and sustaining damage to his vehicle, Zilisch managed to overtake Love in the final corner of the last lap, securing a victory for JR Motorsports.
Zilisch now boasts 13 career wins and has triumphed in the last three consecutive NASCAR O'Reilly races at The Glen.
Following Zilisch and Love, Taylor Gray secured third place, Ross Chastain finished fourth, and Brandon Jones claimed fifth. Brent Crews, Parker Retzlaff, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Green, and Justin Allgaier completed the top ten.
"Upon close examination, there were numerous minor errors that allowed him to get close, and ultimately, the significant factor was my poor handling of the corner," said Love, who appeared deeply disheartened.
He later remarked, "This is a significant mental challenge for me. My primary goal is to outperform Connor here. We are best friends, and we've put each other through a lot. Unfortunately, I didn't perform when it was crucial. My silence stems from embarrassment. As a driver, such mistakes are unacceptable. It was a serious error, and it's quite humiliating. However, I am confident that I will learn from this experience and improve, even though I feel I've disappointed many, including myself. Perhaps it's beneficial to experience this discomfort now."
After last year's incident of falling from the car following his win at the Glen, Zilisch exercised greater caution when exiting the vehicle this time.
"I drove as hard as I could for all 30 laps, trying to close the gap," said Zilisch. "I wasn't going to push Jesse in the final corner, but he went in deep, allowing me to pass. It's incredibly rewarding to secure my third consecutive win at Watkins Glen with JRM. It's special to achieve this with Rodney [Childers] as my third different crew chief here. This victory holds significant meaning, and I'm relieved to have exited the car safely and reached the ground without incident."A lot."
Caruth led the race from pole position after qualifying was canceled due to rain. However, he ran wide into Turn 1 while battling side-by-side with Allgaier, which allowed Mayer to take advantage. Mayer also ran wide into Turn 1 later, enabling Crews to seize the lead.
Patrick Staropoli and William Sawalich both headed to the garage early due to blown engines. Jeb Burton and Matt Wilson encountered early difficulties as well, sustaining damage to their vehicles.
Zilisch and Van Gisbergen made significant progress early on, starting from the teens and reaching the top five within the first ten laps.
As anticipated, several cars, led by Zilisch and Caruth, pitted just before the scheduled caution to flip the stage strategy.
Crews chose not to pit, remaining on track to win Stage 1 over Mayer, Allgaier, B. Jones, A. Hill, Caruth, Retzlaff, Chastain, and R. Sieg.
JR Motorsports teammates Zilisch and Van Gisbergen now occupied the front row, with Crews starting from the third row.
Lavar Scott spun in Turn 1, and Jeremy Clements collided with a tire pack, becoming stuck and prompting a caution.
On the restart, Van Gisbergen briefly overtook Zilisch for the lead before Zilisch reclaimed it.
The subsequent caution was due to a bumper on the track after another spin by Scott.
Zilisch went on to win the stage, narrowly holding off Crews. They were followed by Van Gisbergen, Allgaier, Love, Love Tay, Gray, A. Hill, Mayer, S. Smith, and B. Jones.
In the pits, Van Gisbergen made contact with Zilisch while exiting his pit stall, damaging his left-front fender and necessitating a return to pit road.
Several cars stayed out, with Crews in the lead. Creed navigated through the mud at the exit of the bus stop chicane, going airborne as he traversed the muddy grass.
The RCR cars, along with a few others, opted to pit, aiming to potentially complete the race without further stops.
With 26 laps remaining, Crews pitted from the lead, followed shortly by Zilisch. SVG fought his way back through the field and pitted from the lead with 20 laps to go.
Love led those on an alternate strategy, hoping to finish without another stop. Trailing him was Ross Chastain, who collided with a tire pack at Turn 1, damaging his No. 32 Chevrolet.
The race remained under green conditions as Love led teammate Hill at the front. Zilisch was approximately 15 seconds behind but quickly reduced the gap.
After closing to within three seconds at the exit of the bus stop, Zilisch ended up in the mud, causing a tire rub. His pace slowed for a couple of laps, but he managed to catch up on the white flag lap.
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