Connor Zilisch wins physical ARCA Menards Series race at Iowa Speedway
Another race and another win for Connor Zilisch in the ARCA Menards Series. This time he gets it done at Iowa Speedway. The 17-year-old is on the fast track to a full-time ride in NASCAR in 2025.
There was a little short-track beating and banging going on. William Sawalich didn’t give Connor Zilisch an inch down the stretch. Those two are two of the brightest stars in stock car racing right now and tonight won’t be the last time they battle.
Zilisch wins on a final restart with three laps to go. He fought through the contact and came out victorious. The young driver is the first to get two wins in the ARCA Menards Series this season.
If you are looking for the next great American racer, it is Connor Zilisch. IMSA, CARS Tour, ARCA Menards Series, Mazda MX-5 Cup – it doesn’t matter what he drives, Zilisch can get the job done. Those are just the series he’s won a race in this year. He also has a pole award in the Truck Series.
The No. 28 Chevy definitely had to earn it tonight. Contact throughout the race, even a late bump and run from Sawalich. None of that stopped Zilisch from getting another win in ARCA.
While there are a lot of great young drivers, Zilisch is the cream of the crop. If he isn’t approached for 2025, you can almost bet that he will be in line for a Cup Series ride sooner rather than later.
The way people in the industry talk about him, the kid is a future superstar.
William Sawalich ‘lost respect’ for Connor Zilisch
Now this race would not end without its own drama. Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich traded paint and this isn’t the first time. The two got into it at Dover with Zilisch coming out on top there as well.
So, it’s not a surprise that Sawalich wanted to get a little payback. But it never worked out. Sawalich also didn’t appreciate Zilisch jumping a restart during the race at Iowa tonight. ARCA officials reviewed the restart and no penalty was assessed.
Sawalich after the race:
“Definitely a lot of effort,” he told Hearther DeBeaux. “Especially the team I mean I can’t thank them enough to get us up there and up front and we did. We rebounded I felt like and our Starkey Sound Group Toyota Camry was really good tonight. Had the speed, just not enough there at the end. I felt like something early on happened with the right front, not too sure what it was but kind of just stayed the same consistent tight all throughout the race.
“So definitely fighting that was a hindrance. He [Connor Zilisch] jumped the start on one restart, lost a little bit of respect for him right there. Other than that, I tried everything I could.”
Will we see this rivalry continue this season? With Connor Zilisch being a Chevy driver and William Sawalich a Toyota driver, it makes it almost too perfect. Could we even see this bud into a multi-year feud between the two?