Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich are 1-2 in ARCA Menards Series East points and have combined to win 20 of the 32 races in the three ARCA series [62.5%]. So in the ARCA Menards Series and East combination race at Bristol Motor Speedway, everyone else ought to say a prayer to have a chance, right?
Haha, it’s not a bad idea.
All Zilisch must do to win the East title is finish 11th. Thirty-four drivers are entered, so there is the possibility Zilisch could finish below that threshold. In the 2023 ARCA Bristol race, Zilisch’s predecessor Luke Fenhaus wrecked out and finished 29th. Furthermore, Zilisch has never been to Bristol before.
But all Zilisch has done is succeed – just ask the NASCAR Xfinity Series field at Watkins Glen International. He has four wins in seven East races, five wins in seven national races and zero finishes outside the top 10.
“We are ready,” Zilisch’s team Pinnacle Racing Group posted on its social media channels about its readiness for clinching the season title [it leads East owner points too].
Sawalich’s No. 18 team has won three straight races at Bristol, with Sawalich going to victory lane there last year. In that race, he won the pole and led the final nine laps en route to the triumph.
The No. 18 team also holds a 66-point lead in the main series owner standings, so another stout performance will bolster those odds.
“Some kids have talent and William was one of those,” team owner Joe Gibbs told MAVTV. “It’s rare to have people with that kind of talent, but to be quite truthful, with William, everybody saw it and everybody was after him.”
Zilisch and Sawalich are two of the five drivers who will run double duty on Thursday (Sept. 19) at Bristol, with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race following the ARCA race.
Beyond Zilisch and Sawalich, who else will have a fighting chance of winning at Bristol? After all, Jesse Love led 158 laps there last year but came up 0.412 seconds short of capturing the trophy.
Zilisch’s PRG teammate Corey Day will be fast. He solidly ran inside the top 10 in his series debut at Salem Speedway before…
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