Connor Zilisch gets airborne in wreck with Justin Allgaier, sends Daytona Xfinity race to overtime

With less than two laps to go in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona, Connor Zilisch found himself in the outside wall. As Sheldon Creed checked up just a touch, Zilisch got into the back of the 18 and Justin Allgaier gave the 88 a hard push. Next thing you know, cars are wrecking.

Connor Zilisch made so many great moves today at Daytona. There is a reason why he has so much hype around him. After getting into the back of Creed and then taking a hit from behind from Allgaier, it was even too much for him to handle.

Multiple cars from the front of the pack have been wrecked now. We are going to overtime, folks.

.@ConnorZilisch into the wall and we're headed for overtime at @DAYTONA. pic.twitter.com/TJZEKVK8g5

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) February 16, 2025

There was a lot of energy building as the field was getting ready to take the white flag. However, things got a bit too squirrely. Once that contact was made between Creed and Zilisch, the accordion effect started to build and there was no getting out of it.

The JR Motorsports cars were working great together. Just before the wreck, all four JRM cars were lined up. Then they got separated a bit. Allgaier was doing his best to help his rookie teammate and things got out of hand. Tough break for Connor Zilisch.

This race was going to come down to one of these young guns. Zilisch and Jesse Love were showing fans a little bit of what is to come this season as they fought for the lead at Daytona.

Connor Zilisch showed he isn’t only a road course ace

Watching Connor Zilisch in the race today, he showed that he is a wheelman through and through. Yes, his talents are best on the road courses right now, there is no doubt about that. But don’t be shocked when Zilisch gets a win on an oval, particularly a superspeedway.

There were moves that Zilisch made in traffic today that not many in the series would attempt, let alone make them stick. In the end, he was on the receiving end of a bad situation in the draft coming to the white flag. It happens. That’s NASCAR.

Seeing Zilisch and Jesse Love up front and racing side by side was like seeing into the future. Those two are going to have epic battles in the near future in both the Xfinity and Cup Series.

One race down and a lot more to go for Connor Zilisch in his rookie campaign. Keep an eye on the 18-year-old, he is special. While today ended in a wreck, those wins are bound to come soon.