Connor Zilisch didn’t forget what happened in Chicago, and neither did Shane van Gisbergen. But in the closing laps at Sonoma Raceway, the younger driver flipped the script. After a race-long duel with his JR Motorsports teammate, Zilisch held off van Gisbergen to take the win in the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250. What followed was a mix of contact, clean racing, and the kind of respect rarely seen between two drivers fighting for every inch.
Key Highlights
Connor Zilisch scored his third win of 2025 and fourth career Xfinity victory
Shane van Gisbergen finished second after leading 24 laps from pole
Zilisch led a race-high 46 laps and held off SVG’s last-lap contact
JR Motorsports placed five cars in the top nine
SVG backed off late to avoid a dirty move: “I just waited”
Teammates Trade Blows, Race Clean
The 79-lap race at Sonoma quickly became a two-man show, with Zilisch and van Gisbergen trading the lead and pushing each other to the limit. After short-pitting during the opening stages to maintain track position, the JR Motorsports duo controlled the final run on fuel strategy. Van Gisbergen, looking for his third straight NASCAR victory after sweeping Chicago, started from the pole and never let Zilisch out of sight.
But this time, the teenager got the upper hand.
“First, hats off to Shane. That was awesome. All race long, I felt like we were racing each other with respect. I wheel-hopped a little bit in Turn 7 one time and got into him. Otherwise, it was awesome to get to race against him finally and battle with him the whole race long.” – Connor Zilisch
On the final lap, van Gisbergen’s No. 9 Chevrolet nudged the rear of Zilisch’s No. 88 in Turn 7. The opportunity was there, but the New Zealander chose not to take it.
“I gave him a bump into 7, and he wheel-hopped, and I probably could have taken it, but I just waited. I didn’t want to do it like that, and then we raced down the hill. What an awesome race. I had a blast all day — really, really fun.” – Shane van Gisbergen
Zilisch crossed the line 0.438 seconds ahead for a clean win, reversing the result from Chicago when SVG muscled past him in a two-lap dash.
JR Motorsports Continues Dominance
Zilisch’s victory marked JR Motorsports’ 10th win of the season in 19 races. It was also a huge day overall for the organization, which saw five of its cars finish in the top nine.
Justin Allgaier, who leads the series in points, came home sixth. Rookie Carson Kvapil finished eighth. Sammy Smith added a ninth-place finish. And van Gisbergen, despite falling short of victory, added another top-two result to his road course résumé.
Zilisch now joins Allgaier and Austin Hill with three wins apiece, placing him firmly in the conversation as a title contender.
“I didn’t want to have to have to do anything dirty to win this race, and I’m glad I didn’t and glad to do it fair and square. I learned a lot racing around him, and he’s got so many years of experience on me that I can learn from.” – Connor Zilisch
William Sawalich Leads the Rest
The JR Motorsports pair were so dominant that third-place William Sawalich crossed the line 13.668 seconds behind. Sawalich had already made headlines the day before by winning a wild ARCA West race. On Saturday, he backed it up with a strong run in the No. 18, holding off Nick Sanchez and Riley Herbst for the final podium spot.
Sanchez finished fourth, followed by Cup Series regular Herbst in fifth. Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Kvapil, Smith, and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top 10.
Post-race inspection confirmed that Zilisch’s car passed without issue. Teams for Austin Hill (No. 21), Dean Thompson (No. 26), and Brennan Poole (No. 44) were each penalized for one unsecured lug nut.
Full Race Results – Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250, Sonoma (July 12, 2025)
| POS | Driver | Car No. |
| 1 | Connor Zilisch | 88 |
| 2 | Shane van Gisbergen | 9 |
| 3 | William Sawalich | 18 |
| 4 | Nick Sanchez | 48 |
| 5 | Riley Herbst | 19 |
| 6 | Justin Allgaier | 7 |
| 7 | Taylor Gray | 54 |
| 8 | Carson Kvapil | 1 |
| 9 | Sammy Smith | 8 |
| 10 | Sheldon Creed | 0 |
| 11 | Austin Green | 32 |
| 12 | Austin Hill | 21 |
| 13 | Brandon Jones | 20 |
| 14 | Josh Bilicki | 91 |
| 15 | Josh Williams | 11 |
| 16 | Will Rodgers | 70 |
| 17 | Sam Mayer | 41 |
| 18 | Dean Thompson | 26 |
| 19 | Blaine Perkins | 31 |
| 20 | Jeb Burton | 27 |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | 25 |
| 22 | Brennan Poole | 44 |
| 23 | Anthony Alfredo | 42 |
| 24 | Corey Day | 17 |
| 25 | Kyle Sieg | 28 |
| 26 | Matt DiBenedetto | 99 |
| 27 | Ryan Ellis | 71 |
| 28 | Parker Retzlaff | 4 |
| 29 | Kris Wright | 5 |
| 30 | Jeremy Clements | 51 |
| 31 | Brad Perez | 45 |
| 32 | Daniel Dye | 10 |
| 33 | Connor Mosack | 14 |
| 34 | Christian Eckes | 16 |
| 35 | Ryan Sieg | 39 |
| 36 | Sage Karam | 53 |
| 37 | Alex Labbe | 7 |
| 38 | Jesse Love | 2 |
News in Brief: Full Xfinity Race Results from Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250
Connor Zilisch claimed his third win of the season in the Xfinity Series by outdueling teammate Shane van Gisbergen in the final laps at Sonoma. The JR Motorsports duo led 70 of 79 laps, with Zilisch reversing last week’s Chicago result by holding off a late bump-and-run attempt. JR Motorsports continues to dominate the series with 10 wins in 19 races. The series heads next to Dover Motor Speedway, where Ryan Truex returns aiming for a third straight win at the concrete mile.
ALSO READ: Connor Zilisch responds to SVG rivalry with bold four-word message after Sonoma qualifying showdown
