“Didn’t quite have what we needed”: Connor Zilisch reflects on losing NASCAR championship to Jesse Love

Connor Zilisch’s bid for his first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series championship ended with a P3 finish. Driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, it was Jesse Love who ultimately bagged the ultimate honor at Phoenix despite two red flags and two hectic overtime restarts.

2025 was shaping up well for Connor Zilisch. He won a season-high 10 races, logged a record-breaking 18-race top-five streak, missed a race due to a collarbone injury, had surgery, and came back for the titular win.

It all slipped away from his hands when his teammate Justin Allgaier passed him in the second stage and Love with 24 laps to go. Zilisch reflected on his journey and said (via PRN on X, formerly known as Twitter),

“I told my team we have to give it 100% this weekend and unfortunately we didn’t quite have what we needed … you work all year long for 33 weeks and we just didn’t have it today.”

Zilisch found some solace in being the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year. His P3 finish was enough to grab the honor from his JR Motorsports teammate, Carson Kvapil. Besides his wins, Zilisch ended his season with 20 top fives, 23 top-10s, and 1,013 laps led.

“I’m still so proud of my team, what we’ve accomplished this year,” Connor Zilisch said during his post-race interview. “We have nothing to hang our heads about. We were the best car for two-thirds of the year. We dominated until these last three races. Yeah, it cost us a championship, so… We’ll keep our heads high.” “We are walking home with more than three times as many trophies as anybody else,” he continued. “We won the most races, had the most top-10s, top-5s, poles. There’s no reason we should be upset because of this outcome.”

Rounding off the top five spots (after Love) were Aric Almirola, Zilisch, Brandon Jones, and Allgaier. With that, the drivers enter the offseason to recharge for yet another action-filled year of Xfinity racing. Every single race throughout the season will be televised on The CW Network.

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Connor Zilisch to move to Cup Series in 2026 with Trackhouse Racing

Connor Zilisch has been tapped by Trackhouse Racing to go Cup racing next year. He will be replacing Daniel Suarez, who spent his last five seasons driving the No. 99 Chevy Camaro for the organization.

Since joining Trackhouse as a development driver in January 2024, Zilisch has amassed ten wins in 27 starts in the Xfinity Series. He also got JR Motorsports its milestone 100th victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It's cool. I knew the whole world knew already, but still to be able to say it and have my name next to the word 'Cup Series' is really cool," Connor Zilisch said of his shift. "So, I wasn't going to try and hide from it, but it's just a day that I've been dreaming of for a long time and I'm not going to let that kind of the idea that everybody already knows take away from the moment."

Zilisch’s car number, crew chief, and crew lineup are yet to be announced. However, it has been revealed that Stefan Parsons will serve as his spotter throughout the season.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua