Connor Zilisch overcame a difficult race to secure his first victory of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season in a chaotic event at Circuit of the Americas.
The JR Motorsports driver battled mid-race penalties, on-track carnage, and mechanical difficulties to claim the win, while other drivers faced heartbreak. Below, we break down the standout performers and those left reeling after Saturday’s action in Austin, Texas.
Winners
Connor Zilisch: Redemption
Connor Zilisch’s victory was a masterclass. After starting on the pole and dominating the early laps, a pit-road penalty on Lap 17 dropped him to the rear of the field.
Undeterred, the 18-year-old methodically sliced through traffic, overcoming a damaged right-front fender from contact with Corey Heim and a tense duel with teammate Carson Kvapil. His pass on Kvapil with nine laps remaining—executed after Kvapil locked brakes in Turn 20—cemented his status as NASCAR’s rising road specialist.
This is his second career Xfinity win, both coming on road courses (Watkins Glen 2024 and COTA 2025), and extended Chevrolet’s unbeaten streak to start the season.
“That was way harder than I wanted it to be. I did not drive a clean race at all…” he said. “Glad we were able to fight back. This JR Motorsports team gave me a car as fast as Xfinity Mobile.”
William Byron: Cup Star Shines in Cameo
The two-time Daytona 500 champion leveraged his road-course skills to secure a second place finish in his first Xfinity start of 2025. He avoided any major clashes and capitalized on Kvapil’s late tire failure to claim second, further validating Hendrick Motorsports’ cross-series strength.
His performance mirrored his 2024 COTA Cup victory where he drove superbly.
JR Motorsports: Team Triumph
Despite friction between the teammates, JR Motorsports placed three drivers in the top 10: Zilisch (1st), Kvapil (23rd after leading seven laps), and Sam Mayer (3rd). Mayer’s podium proved his consistency, while Zilisch’s win salvaged a day that saw Kvapil’s tire failure and Justin Allgaier struggle, finishing 29th.
JR is positioning itself as a title winning team this year.
Jesse Love: Steady Climb in Points
Though Love’s sixth-place finish lacked flash, it reinforced his championship credentials. The Richard Childress Racing driver now sits second in standings, 13 points behind Austin Hill.
William Sawalich: A Strong Rookie
The 18-year-old notched a career-best ninth-place finish in just his third Xfinity start. Sawalich avoided the attrition that slowed down veteran drivers like Sheldon Creed (12th) and Riley Herbst (13th).
Losers
Carson Kvapil: Heartbreak
Kvapil’s dominant start—leading seven laps and battling Zilisch for the win—ended cruelly when a flat right-front tire relegated him to 23rd. This was particularly gutting after he outperformed expectations in his eighth career start.
“It’s tough to get over that one… I felt like we were a little bit better in some places, but [Zilisch] could really get away from us. Ultimately, I just used [the car] up a little too much,” he explained.
Justin Allgaier: No More Momentum
Allgaier’s day unraveled early. A restart violation and a speeding penalty after Stage 1 trapped him a lap down, and later contact with Zilisch caused a tire rub that necessitated multiple pit stops. His 29th-place finish dropped him to sixth in points, 32 behind Hill. For a veteran eyeing a championship, this was a missed opportunity.
Harrison Burton: Mechanical Issues Strike Again
Burton’s Stage 2 win—his first of 2025—proved fleeting. An axle failure left him 35th, continuing a brutal start for AM Racing’s flagship driver. Despite this, he’s had a strong start to the Xfinity Series, and there’s a long season left to fight for.
Corey Heim: Wrecked
Heim ran top-five before Zilisch’s aggressive move in Turn 15 spun him into the grass. The incident damaged his No. 24 Toyota and consigned him to 31st, a devastating result.
Riley Herbst: Faded Promise
On Lap 33, Herbst pitted to address a left-front fender rub caused by contact with Connor Zilisch. While the adjustment maintained his car, it dropped him outside the top 10. Compounding the issue, Herbst faced aggressive traffic upon reentering the track, losing additional positions to drivers on fresher tires. Despite regaining ground during the final stage, late-race cautions and a chaotic restart relegated him to 13th at the checkered flag.
Conclusion
With Phoenix’s short-track battle looming, expect points leader Austin Hill—who finished fourth—to face heightened pressure from Love and a resurgent JR Motorsports squad.
Xfinity 2025 Cota: Focused Health 250 Results
- C. Zilisch (Chevrolet · #88) – Finished – 40 pts
- W. Byron (Chevrolet · #17) – Finished – 0 pts
- S. Mayer (Ford · #41) – Finished – 41 pts
- A. Hill (Chevrolet · #21) – Finished – 38 pts
- C. Eckes (Chevrolet · #16) – Finished – 36 pts
- J. Love (Chevrolet · #2) – Finished – 31 pts
- T. Gray (Toyota · #54) – Finished – 30 pts
- R. Chastain (Chevrolet · #9) – Finished – 0 pts
- W. Sawalich (Toyota · #18) – Finished – 28 pts
- B. Perkins (Chevrolet · #31) – Finished – 27 pts
- S. Smith (Chevrolet · #8) – Finished – 37 pts
- S. Creed (Ford · #00) – Finished – 25 pts
- R. Herbst (Toyota · #19) – Finished – 0 pts
- A. Labbé (Chevrolet · #07) – Finished – 28 pts
- J. Williams (Chevrolet · #11) – Finished – 25 pts
- R. Ellis (Chevrolet · #71) – Finished – 21 pts
- D. Dye (Chevrolet · #10) – Finished – 29 pts
- D. Thompson (Toyota · #26) – Finished – 19 pts
- R. Sieg (Ford · #39) – Finished – 24 pts
- B. Poole (Chevrolet · #44) – Finished – 22 pts
- A. Alfredo (Chevrolet · #42) – Finished – 18 pts
- J. Bilicki (Chevrolet · #91) – Finished – 15 pts
- C. Kvapil (Chevrolet · #1) – Finished – 15 pts
- N. Sanchez (Chevrolet · #48) – Finished – 13 pts
- J. Burton (Chevrolet · #27) – Finished – 19 pts
- A. Green (Chevrolet · #32) – Finished – 11 pts
- K. Sieg (Ford · #28) – Finished – 11 pts
- J. Clements (Chevrolet · #51) – Finished – 9 pts
- J. Allgaier (Chevrolet · #7) – Finished – 14 pts
- B. Jones (Toyota · #20) – Finished – 7 pts
- C. Heim (Toyota · #24) – Finished – 0 pts
- M. DiBenedetto (Chevrolet · #99) – Finished – 5 pts
- K. Wright (Chevrolet · #5) – Finished – 4 pts
- S. Karam (Toyota · #53) – DNF – 5 pts
- H. Burton (Ford · #25) – DNF – 12 pts
- P. Pardus (Chevrolet · #50) – DNF – 1 pt
- B. Leguizamón (Chevrolet · #35) – DNF – 1 pt
- C. Hocevar (Chevrolet · #14) – DNF – 0 pts
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