Connor Zilisch’s remarkable NASCAR Xfinity Series season continued on Saturday night, as the JR Motorsports driver rolled to his 10th victory of the year in the Blue Cross NC 250 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™.
The race marked the final event of the Round of 12 in the Xfinity Series Playoffs. While Zilisch and his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet were already locked into the Round of 8, his win added valuable playoff points and reinforced his momentum heading into the penultimate round of the championship.
Austin Green – who grew up racing Bandoleros and Legend Cars at Charlotte – finished second after a late-race rally to the front.
Zilisch set the tone early, taking the Stage 1 win and leading the field with his trademark speed and precision. In Stage 2, Jesse Love and the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team used pit strategy to perfection, capturing the stage victory, a crucial move that helped secure Love’s advancement to the next round of the playoffs.
A late caution for a stalled car on the frontstretch set up an overtime finish, shaking up the running order and giving several drivers one final chance to fight for playoff survival. Among them was Sammy Smith, who pitted just before the caution and restarted with the freshest tires in the field. Smith charged through the pack in the closing laps to finish third, a clutch performance that advanced him to the Round of 8. Kaz Grala and Connor Mosack completed the top five.
Taylor Gray wasn’t as fortunate as Smith. Just one point behind Smith’s No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet entering the race, Gray’s 13th-place finish brought his playoff run to an end. Joining Gray on the elimination list were Nick Sanchez (-9), Austin Hill (-21), who suffered engine issues and finished 28th, and Harrison Burton (-41).
When the dust settled, Zilisch stood tall once again. He led 61 of the race’s 68 laps.
CONNOR ZILISCH, NO. 88 JR MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “[The ROVAL™] is a very unique race track and a special place to win. So much fun getting to race in my hometown. Feels really good to get [win number] 10, double digits is pretty awesome for my first year in the series. Now, we need to go win the championship.”
AUSTIN GREEN, NO. 87 JORDAN ANDERSON RACING BOMMARITO AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “It’s such a thrill to obviously run good. Being runner-up to Zilisch, he’s one of the best to do it right now. We were as fast as Xfinity mobile today. I can’t thank the guys at the shop enough. This means the world to me, to race at home. Growing up on the quarter-mile, you always wanted to race on the big track.”
SAMMY SMITH, NO. 8 JR MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (THIRD-PLACE FINISHER): “We brought speed. I’m really proud of our effort. I had to make a lot of aggressive moves there, but luckily we were able to make it in. Ready to move to the next round—we put ourselves in a good position to make the Final 4.”
Noaker Completes Perfect Season, Sweeps IMSA Charlotte Races
Robert Noaker claimed his 12th IMSA Mustang Challenge victory in as many races on Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™, capping off a season that saw the Duncannon, Pennsylvania, native win every pole and race on the calendar.
Noaker triumphed comfortably in Saturday morning's 11th round and withstood a challenge from Sam Paley over the final three-lap shootout in Saturday night's season finale to wrap up the perfect campaign in the Dark Horse category.
“This was the best race of the year, in my opinion," Noaker said Saturday. "Having Mustang Challenge under the lights here in Charlotte is cool itself, and then to cap off a perfect season with a three-lap dash at the end after the restart was incredible. I can’t thank the team enough. There were a lot of long nights to get here, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Alex Bachoura swept the weekend in the Dark Horse Legends category.
