A dream season for Connor Zilisch came to a heartbreaking conclusion at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday night.
Among the quartet of Championship 4 drivers competing for the NASCAR Xfinity Series title, Zilisch was unable to take home the trophy despite being the overwhelming favorite to do so.
The 19-year JR Motorsports driver finished the season with a series-high 10 wins but could muster no better than a third-place finish at Phoenix as fellow Championship 4 driver Jesse Love — Zilisch’s best friend — captured the race win and the title.
What Happened To Connor Zilisch At Phoenix?
Unlike the many occasions in 2025 when Connor Zilisch showed up at a racetrack with a dominant race car, his No. 88 Chevy was never dominant at Phoenix.
Yes, he led five times for a total of 27 laps out front. But he could never hold the lead for a sustained period of time.
“I felt like we were never the best car,” Zilisch said. “I feel like our pit crew did a really good job. We restart second. I got the lead from second both times. We led for 10, 15 laps. Every run, we just tanked. I don’t know if I was pushing it too hard at the beginning of runs or what it was.
“After 20 laps (of green-flag racing), I just couldn’t hang on. Just started to lose lateral grip. Yeah, I don’t really know what we fought. But I feel like every run we were the second-best car.”
Zilisch paced the field for fewer laps than JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier, a fellow Championship 4 driver who ran P1 for 83 laps but ultimately faded to finish fifth. Zilisch also spent less time out front than eventual champion Jesse Love, whose Richard Childress Racing Chevy executed what proved to be a race-winning pass on Zilisch with 24 laps to go.
Then, with eight laps remaining, Zilisch surrendered second-place to Aric Almirola.
After climbing from his car immediately after the race, Zilisch sat in silence next to it. The disappointment on his face was unmistakable.
“I feel like emotion is part of the sport,” Zilisch said. “You work so hard for 38 weeks. Coming up short sucks.”
Heartbroken. We did everything we could. Nothing will take away from the year we’ve had. Onto bigger and better things. Thank you @JRMotorsports❤️
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) November 2, 2025
Connor Zilisch Struggled To See Glass Half Full After Falling Short
So, did Connor Zilisch find any consolation in losing the championship to best friend Jesse Love?
Love won just two races on the year — a far cry from Zilisch’s 10 trips to Victory Lane.
“I’m very happy for him,” Zilisch said. “He works really hard at it. He deserves it. Yeah, it’s cool to see your best friend win.
“I came here to win. So, it still doesn’t make it feel any better.”
Zilisch also found little solace in the fact that he’s headed for a full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride next season with Trackhouse Racing. He’ll also compete part-time for JR Motorsports, the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization for which he ran the full Xfinity campaign in 2025.
“Sorry,” Zilisch said. “I need to lighten up. Yeah, I’m excited for next year. Man, I don’t have a NASCAR championship. So, that’s something I definitely got to get in the future. Hopefully, that will be a Cup championship one day.
“I’ll look back on this as a little tidbit and a little bump in the road. That’s something that I can be excited about — next year. But this one’s going to sting.”
