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Connor Zilisch wins Gateway pole, full NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying results

JHby: Jonathan Howard09/06/25Jondean25
Connor Zilisch
(Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Who else but Connor Zilisch? The 88 was the best in NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying in a record-setting session on the track. Eight drivers broke the former series qualifying record at the facility.

Connor Zilisch has been on one heck of a run. Six wins in the last seven races (one of those was won by Parker Kligerman in a substitute role. Zilisch had a three-win streak from Sonoma to Indy. Now he technically has won from Watkins Glen to Portland. Can he push it to four wins?

This is the seventh pole award of the season for Zilisch. He has earned a variety of poles from road courses, short tracks, and intermediate tracks. Zilisch in the front again as tonight’s race kicks off at Gateway.

Leading the season in wins and pole awards, racing for JR Motorsports, a Red Bull athlete, already has a Cup Series deal at 19… Connor Zilisch is a superstar. Tonight, he takes one more step on that journey as he attempts to clinch the regular season championship over his teammate, Justin Allgaier.

It’s almost like a movie or a video game. The young upstart driver with all the hype has to go head-to-head with his teammate who is a well-respected veteran and the reigning champion. You would be hard-pressed to come up with a story this good. Check out the full starting lineup below:

Connor Zilisch as good as sold

There have been drivers in the past who have won a ton of races and earned Cup Series rides because of it. Two who come to mind are Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric. Both have won multiple races in the few years they have been in the Cup Series. Cindric has a Daytona 500 win. Briscoe looks like the future face of Joe Gibbs Racing.

With all due respect to Cindric, I think Connor Zilisch is a more talented racecar driver. But if you told me that Zilisch’s floor was a Chase Briscoe type driver as far as talent and skill goes, you take that all day as an organization. Briscoe could be a future champion. Hell, he could win a championship this season.

So, the hype behind Zilisch is warranted. With many in the industry believing he is the biggest thing since Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, or even as far back as Jeff Gordon, he has a lot to prove.

For now, Connor Zilisch is proving he is as good as sold. His streak of top-fives and wins continues. Can he add to it again tonight?