Connor Zilisch sweeps ARCA, Truck Series poles at Bristol Motor Speedway
What was that about Connor Zilisch only being a road course racer? The kid just won the pole award for the Truck Series at Bristol. In fact, he swept the ARCA and Truck Series poles to start the NASCAR weekend.
I am not sure anyone saw this coming. Connor Zilisch is regarded as a road course ace, but a developing driver on ovals. Then again, maybe his winning multiple oval races at tracks like Dover, Iowa, and Michigan should have told us this was possible.
Zilisch is regarded as having elite braking skills. Perhaps his ability to brake in the corners and get his car or truck pointed the right direction is paying dividends on these ovals.
Maybe that CARS Tour wins at Hickory this year meant more than we thought it did after all. A big statement for Zilisch today, days after his debut Xfinity Series race and win at Watkins Glen.
Tonight, Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich race for the ARCA East championship. Zilisch is in full control there and even if Sawalich wins, 11th place or better would earn Zilisch the title. It would take a complete DNF or other failure for Zilisch to lose, but it is possible.
In his third Truck Series race ever, Zilisch is on the pole. Could he defy the critics and win at Bristol in the Truck Series? It will be very tough. He will have to handle his pit stops and all that entails and hope to avoid wrecks in the process.
Connor Zilisch is not just good, he is legit a superstar in the making. People are going to get tired of hearing about him, but embrace it. Take it all in. You won’t see another one like this for a long time.
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Connor Zilisch paces field of young talents
Today’s race doesn’t just feature a talented field of NASCAR Truck Series regulars. Connor Zilisch paced a field of upcoming talent that we could see in the Xfinity and Cup Series in the coming years.
Corey Day is making his Truck Series debut, the 18 year old Sprint Car phenom is ready to give stock cars a go. William Sawalich, who has three top-10s and will make his 12th career start in the trucks, is also in the race. He is a Joe Gibbs development driver with a promising future.
The one question mark about Zilisch is how he will adapt to ovals. He has limited experience, but has already won multiple races on ovals in late models, CARS Tour, and ARCA. Say what you want about ARCA, but he’s beating Sawalich who grew up more in the stock car pipeline.
The fact of the matter is Connor Zilisch can wheel it. He just knows how to handle a race car and get around a race track. While I still don’t expect him to win tonight, a lot can happen in this race, it won’t shock me. He won the Truck Series pole by 0.12 seconds and after tonight he flies up to Indianapolis for the IMSA LMP2 category race.