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Connor Zilisch wins Watkins Glen pole, full Xfinity Series qualifying results

JHby: Jonathan Howard08/09/25Jondean25
Connor Zilisch COTA win
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Anyone shocked? Connor Zilisch is back on the pole at Watkins Glen and looking to defend his Xfinity Series win from last year. Zilisch beat out his JR Motorsports teammate, Shane van Gisbergen. We are about to get Part 3 of their road course battles in this series this year.

Connor Zilisch is competing in three total races this weekend. He had trouble in the Truck Series on Friday. Back where he is comfortable, Zilisch is back to his old ways.

A few interesting results. We are also seeing William Sawalich really come into his own. Does anyone have what it takes to take on SVG and Zilisch?

The fact that Connor Zilisch is half a second faster than SVG should be a warning to the field. Watkins Glen is Zilisch’s favorite track, and he has shown time and again that he knows it very well.

Christian Eckes did not make a qualifying time. He had damage in practice after SVG ran into him and Sam Mayer. It caused a problem only for Eckes, which was shocking after seeing the incident happen.

While I’m not sure he can win, William Sawalich looks ready to have another great weekend. He has started to figure things out, and it has shown in the last few races. Today could be another great race.

Connor Zilisch leads the field at Watkins Glen

Racing three times this weekend, Connor Zilisch is getting a ton of reps in at the Glen. While he came up short in the Truck Series, you have to like his chances when he is clear of SVG by half a second. It might be a distant race for second if that pace keeps up during the race.

We are likely very close to hearing about Zilisch’s 2026 plans. Everyone pretty much knows that he is going to race for Trackhouse next year. Daniel Suárez is out after this season and Zilisch is the next man up at the organization.

Zilisch enters Watkins Glen with 10 straight top-10 finishes in the Xfinity Series. He has been on another level in the last three months. Today is another chance for Zilisch to prove himself against top talent like SVG. Then he gets to do it for an entire season next year.

Watkins Glen is an old-school NASCAR road course track. It is going to be a lot of fun watching the Xfinity Series today.