Connor Zilisch continued his extraordinary performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, capturing another win in the Nu Way 200 and extending his impressive winning streak. With this latest victory, the Connor Zilisch Xfinity Series win streak now stands at four consecutive races, significantly impacting the playoff picture and denying William Sawalich a postseason berth.
Zilisch Dominates Season With Nine Wins
Zilisch’s victory at the Nu Way 200 marks his ninth credited win of the season, highlighting a dominant stretch in which he has taken eight of the last ten races. The tally includes an unusual win at Daytona, where Zilisch started the event but swapped out for Parker Kligerman shortly after – a strategic move to protect his recently repaired collarbone following a victory lane mishap at Watkins Glen. While Kligerman went on to cross the line first, the rules credit Zilisch with the win. The pursuit now puts Zilisch within reach of Kyle Busch’s record of 13 single-season Xfinity Series wins, a mark set in 2010, with eight races still remaining on the calendar.
Yeah, I’m not chasing records but I show up to the track every week and want to win,
—Connor Zilisch, Race Car Driver
Zilisch himself commented on the records, emphasizing his focus on each race rather than statistics or accolades.
It’s cool to get those records and accolades but at the end of the day, I just show up and I’m just a race car driver who wants to race and win. That’s my biggest focus.
—Connor Zilisch, Race Car Driver
Playoff Hopes Dashed for Sawalich and Eckes
The playoff grid solidified in dramatic fashion after the intense Nu Way 200, with William Sawalich twice challenging Zilisch on late-race restarts in a desperate effort to secure a postseason position. Despite a significant performance upswing over the summer—consistently finishing in the top-10 during the last eight events—the Joe Gibbs Racing rookie’s difficult spring ultimately cost him a spot among contenders.
The start of the year was definitely rough,
—William Sawalich, Rookie Driver
There is no doubt about that. It just goes to show how we can bounce back as a team over the summer.
—William Sawalich, Rookie Driver
Sawalich expressed pride in his team’s efforts at Gateway, underscoring the group’s resilience and commitment to racing cleanly.
I did all I could to race cleanly,
—William Sawalich, Rookie Driver
We gave our best effort as a team and our pit crew was phenomenal and we had a good car.
—William Sawalich, Rookie Driver
Christian Eckes of Kaulig Racing, facing a similar must-win scenario, secured third place but narrowly missed the cut. Eckes lamented a season marked by multiple DNFs and issues, stating,
I felt like we had a race-winning car, and with a restart, who knows what could happen,
—Christian Eckes, Kaulig Racing Driver
We knew we had to come here and win. We didn’t achieve that, so it is what it is, and we move on.
—Christian Eckes, Kaulig Racing Driver
Harrison Burton Grabs Final Playoff Spot
The final playoff berth was claimed by Harrison Burton, who overcame a challenging race that included a spin after contact with Brennan Poole. Despite finishing 22nd, Burton’s overall points tally kept him ahead of his cousin Jeb Burton, who exited the race prematurely due to a crash. Harrison acknowledged the narrow margin and his relief at making the playoffs, describing the effort and unity of his single-car team.
It’s all about execution now. We got our mulligan tonight. Now we can go to haul the mail the playoffs.
—Harrison Burton, Driver
Burton spoke openly about awareness of the threats posed by Sawalich and Eckes in the closing stages, watching events unfold while conserving tires after his incident. As the playoff rounds begin, he acknowledged that his team can no longer rely on luck.
Like, I said, we left it up to chance and got lucky and now we can’t do that. We have to earn our way into the next round and the round after that.
—Harrison Burton, Driver
Current Playoff Standings and Road Ahead
The official playoff standings reflect Zilisch’s commanding lead at +59 points, followed by Justin Allgaier (+30), Sam Mayer (+11), Jesse Love and Brandon Jones (both +8), Sammy Smith (+4), Nick Sanchez (+1), and Taylor Gray (at 0). Carson Kvapil holds an even zero, with Sheldon Creed close behind at -2, Harrison Burton at -3, and Austin Hill at -5. Notably, the postseason will test every contender’s consistency and performance across the remaining events.
With eight races left, the focus shifts to whether Zilisch can match or surpass Kyle Busch’s historic win record while drivers like Harrison Burton and his competitors focus sharply on survival and advancement. The upcoming playoff rounds promise high-stakes drama and unpredictability, highlighting both the intensity and emotional stakes of the current NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
