Zilisch Stays Perfect With IRP ARCA Triumph

Connor Zilisch (center) celebrates in victory lane at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Friday. (ARCA Racing photo)

CLERMONT, Ind. – Connor Zilisch maintained his perfect season record in the ARCA Menards Series with a victory in Friday’s Circle City 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Driving the No. 28 Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group, the teenage standout used a lap-180 restart to power past rival William Sawalich on the apron of the historic .686-mile short track.

From there, Zilisch led the rest of the way and survived an overtime attempt to secure his third ARCA national victory in three starts this year.

“This Silver Hare Racing/Pinnacle Racing [Group] Chevrolet was so fast,” Zilisch said. “I kind of messed up two restarts in a row, but luckily, I got a third shot at it. I could just hear Scott Speed and Josh Wise in the back of my head telling me what to do.

“We’ve prepped for this race for weeks now and it feels good to have that prep pay off and get my team a win.”

Zilisch was confident and poised from the start, passing polesitter Lavar Scott on lap 45 and leading through the scheduled halfway break.

Though he lost the top spot to Sawalich on the ensuing restart at lap 108, Zilisch remained patient and focused as three subsequent caution flags in the second half – the most significant of which was a four-car crash in turns one and two on a lap-171 restart gave him chances to reload and plot his strategy.

Finally, that patience paid dividends when Zilisch charged the entry to turn one, slid up toward the outside wall, and used the momentum of the top-side banking to complete the winning pass on the other end of the racetrack.

Zilisch drove away from Sawalich by nearly two seconds, but a spin by Canadian driver Amber Balcaen just before the white flag set up a two-lap sprint to the finish.

That allowed Zilisch to choose the inside for the final restart, get a masterful jump, and never look back.

“I just wanted leverage,” said Zilisch regarding the end of the race. “When I’m [lined up] on the bottom, I have more control than when I’m up top. As long as I beat him [Sawalich] to the start-finish line and got a good run [into turn one], I knew I could slide myself and get clear off of [turn] two.

“It’s all about leverage in these races, and me and the [No.] 18 have had a little bit of history, so I just didn’t want to take a chance and I’m glad it paid off.

Friday’s victory continued a remarkable season for Zilisch, which has included class victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, a CARS Late Model Stock Tour win at historic Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway, and the current ARCA Menards Series East point lead with two races remaining in that division.

“We’re racing for a championship, and these wins matter a lot,” he noted.

He’ll turn 18 Monday, opening up opportunities to compete on larger ovals in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series and further his young career.

But all of the North Carolina native’s current success traces back to his roots in Trans-Am road racing, something Zilisch was quick to reference once he climbed from the car.

“I have to say thank you to my Silver Hare Racing family, because none of this would be possible without (team owners) Maurice and Laura Hull,” Zilisch noted, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. “They took a chance on me two years ago and gave me my first shot in a stock car, so I’ll always be grateful to them.

“Now it’s upward from here and I’m excited to keep moving forward.”

Rev Racing’s Andres Perez passed Sawalich during the overtime restart to earn runner-up honors and extend his national ARCA Menards Series point lead in the process.

Perez now holds a 40-point edge over Greg Van Alst at the halfway point of the season.

Sawalich ended the race third in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota, followed by Perez’s teammate Scott and Venturini Motorsports’ Gio Ruggiero.

Kris Wright, Marco Andretti, Van Alst, Dean Thompson, and part-time rookie Isaac Johnson closed the top 10.

The ARCA Menards Series calendar continues Saturday, July 27 at Salem (Ind.) Speedway, while the ARCA East season takes a month off before reconvening with the national tour in an Aug. 25 combination race at The Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile.