Zilisch Conquers Michigan In First ARCA Speedway Start

Connor Zilisch celebrates in victory lane Friday at Michigan Int'l Speedway. (Zack Silver/ARCA Racing photo)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – There is no stopping Connor Zilisch this season in the national ARCA Menards Series.

Less than a month after turning 18 and in his first oval start on a track larger than one mile in length, Zilisch used a power move on a late restart to claim victory in Friday evening’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Zilisch lined up to the inside of then-leader Tanner Gray, who elected the outside line, ahead of a restart with 23 laps left following the second and final competition break.

Then, with the help of a drafting shove from behind by Kris Wright, Zilisch was able to work his No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet clear off the second turn as Wright, Gray, Andres Perez, and Jake Finch spread out four-wide for second behind him.

That allowed Zilisch to establish control of the race, and from there, the Mooresville, N.C., teenager held off a late charge by Perez for his fourth ARCA victory in four starts on the national platform this year.

Though Perez closed in to within two car lengths on more than one occasion inside the final 15 laps, Zilisch pulled away coming to the white flag and eventually took the win by .701 seconds.

“I’m just so grateful to have so many [good] people surrounding me,” said Zilisch after a smoky burnout on the frontstretch. “[To have] Silver Hare Racing [Zilisch’s Trans-Am team] on the car … they’ve done so much for me and my career, and this Pinnacle Racing Group team has just been firing on all cylinders lately. It means so much to win here, being my first big track [race]. This one’s definitely special.

“I can’t say [the final restart] went bad,” he added. “I was surprised when [Gray] took the top there, and when he did I knew I just had to get a good jump to clear him. … After that, I was just relying on [spotter] Derek Kneeland up top. He’s been the man; we’re undefeated this year, and it means a lot to have him up there.

“It’s been one hell of a year for our group, for sure.”

Perez, who started from the pole after rain earlier in the day forced the lineup to be set by practice speeds, led the first six laps of Friday’s race before being overhauled by Zilisch early in the first stint.

The late scramble at the front, however, allowed Perez to regain much of the track position he lost through the first 50 laps. He surged forward from fifth to ultimately earn his fifth runner-up finish.

It wasn’t a win, but Friday’s second-place effort did allow Perez to expand his ARCA point lead to 58 over Rev Racing teammate Lavar Scott.

“Obviously it’s frustrating, finishing second, because we’ve been so close this year,” Perez noted. “But it’s just how the race went. Here, it’s hard to be out behind a car. The aero[dynamic] blocking is big. We just tried to make our way to the front. I got to second; we were really fast there, and I think we could have got [past Zilisch] … just there was never a point where he made a mistake that I could get close enough to him to actually try a move.

“Still a good day. [The first win] will come soon.”

Notably, only the scheduled segment cautions at laps 35 and 70 slowed the 200-mile distance Friday.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Tanner Gray, making the latest in a slate of limited ARCA appearances this season for Joe Gibbs Racing, led a race-high 55 laps after passing Zilisch on lap 23.

Unfortunately for Gray, he was put into the third lane of that four-wide battle for second on the last restart, sliding back as far as sixth before he could get his momentum fully reestablished.

Gray was left to settle for a disappointing third, his fourth straight top-three finish in ARCA competition and his seventh top five across 20 career starts.

Venturini Motorsports teammates Finch and Wright closed the top five, followed by Greg van Alst, Jason Kitzmiller, Toni Breidinger, Christian Rose, and Amber Balcaen.

Just eight of the 24 starters finished on the lead lap, with the average race pace ending at 151.040 mph.

The ARCA Menards Series season continues Sunday, Aug. 18 as part of a weekend doubleheader, with the tour’s annual visit to the one-mile dirt oval at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Broadcast coverage of the Springfield 100 Sunday afternoon is slated for 2 p.m. ET, live on FS1.