Connor Zilisch made headlines at Kansas Speedway on Saturday by setting a new milestone for consecutive top-five finishes in the Xfinity Series, even as his winless stretch extended to two races. His remarkable performance broke a record that had stood for over four decades, underscoring the competitive spirit and talent within the current field and keeping the Connor Zilisch Xfinity Series record in sharp focus.
Kansas Race Sees Zilisch Break Longstanding Record
The latest Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway saw Brandon Jones clinch victory, ensuring a spot in the playoff Round of 8 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Both Connor Zilisch and JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier amassed enough points to guarantee their own playoff progression, giving three drivers a race’s cushion before the next elimination.
Zilisch finished in second place behind Jones, marking his sixteenth consecutive top-five result and surpassing Sam Ard’s single-season record—a mark that had gone unmatched since 1984. Ard’s achievement remained the standard in the series for 41 years, making Zilisch’s accomplishment highly significant for both himself and JR Motorsports.
Zilisch Attributes Success to Team Performance
Despite not winning either of the first two Xfinity postseason events, Zilisch entered this stage on the back of a dominant regular season, in which he triumphed in seven of the final eight races. This made him a favorite for the championship, much like other top competitors such as Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones.
The upcoming Charlotte Roval is particularly anticipated, as Zilisch has demonstrated notable skill on road courses throughout the season with wins at COTA, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen. He also placed impressively against specialist Shane van Gisbergen in Chicago. These results suggest he will be a strong contender to halt his current winless run, with his last streak of this length dating back to June.
“It’s a new right-side tire for us this year and it was definitely a lot different, but hats off to the team, my pit crew did an awesome job and we did a solid job executing all day long with a car that I didn’t think was winning-capable, except for a point in Stage 3 where I thought we had a chance at it.”
– Connor Zilisch, Driver
Zilisch reflected on breaking Ard’s record by acknowledging the work of his team, including his pit crew and the overall performance of JR Motorsports.
“It just shows that these JR Motorsports cars are as fast as Xfinity Mobile every week, and they make our job a lot easier as a driver. It’s really cool to not only have that record but also go 16 weeks without a DNF, there’s a lot of things we can be proud of as a team.”
– Connor Zilisch, Driver
Implications Moving Forward in the Playoffs
The significance of Zilisch’s achievement is heightened by the historical context, as no driver had surpassed Ard’s record for 41 years—notable considering the changes and challenges of modern NASCAR racing. The record reflects Zilisch’s consistent excellence and the broader competitiveness of the current playoff picture, where teammates and rivals alike, such as pit crews, Joe Gibbs Racing, and stalwarts like Joey Logano, continue to raise the bar.
With the next event at the Charlotte Roval, Zilisch’s skills and the performance of his team will be put to the test once again. While a win has narrowly eluded him in the postseason so far, his dominance and reliability underline why the Connor Zilisch Xfinity Series record is now a benchmark for the sport and a motivator for his peers as they chase playoff glory.
