In his first career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Connor Zilisch nabbed the pole at Watkins Glen International for Saturday’s (Sept. 14) Mission 200 at The Glen.
Zilisch, piloting the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports that he is slated to drive full time for the 2025 season, qualified with a speed of 124.176 mph on Saturday morning (Sept. 14).
Ty Gibbs in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota will join Zilisch on the front row, clocking in with a 123.927-mph lap. Gibbs will make his sixth Xfinity start of the season.
AJ Allmendinger was quick enough to slot his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet third, and points leader Justin Allgaier qualified fourth for JRM. Sam Mayer was the third and final JRM driver in the top five.
Chandler Smith, William Byron, Aric Almirola, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill rounded out the top 10.
Riley Herbst was fastest amongst Ford drivers, qualifying 12th.
Kaulig’s Josh Williams incurred bumper damage during practice and did not attempt a qualifying lap.
Ed Jones underwent an engine change on his Sam Hunt Racing No. 26 Toyota after losing power during practice. He will start at the rear of the field.
Three of the 41 entries did not qualify for today’s race. They were Kyle Keller, Jade Buford and Blaine Perkins, the latter’s first DNQ of the season.
The Xfinity Series will take the green flag from Watkins Glen Saturday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. ET, with the broadcast provided by USA Network.
Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …