Results

Mission 200 at the Glen

Saturday, September 14th, 2024

Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

  • 26 Chevrolet
  • 6 Toyota
  • 8 Ford

  • Thursday, September 12th, 2024
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain
Only two to go to decide NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff contenders

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to deliver the weekend’s first dose of close-quarter, high-skilled action at the hallowed Watkins Glen International road course. With only two races now remaining to formalize the 12-driver Playoff field, Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could be a pivotal chapter in the title run.

JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer is the defending race winner, beating Sheldon Creed to the line last summer by a slight .909-second, with a third member of this year’s title contending group, Parker Kligerman, finishing third.

Mayer is the only current fulltime Xfinity Series driver to hoist the trophy in this race, although three other fulltime drivers have won at The Glen. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill was the 2021 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner at the famed road course and his current RCR teammate Jesse Love won last year’s ARCA Menards Series race there. JRM’s Brandon Jones earned the 2022 ARCA trophy.

Hill won last week at Atlanta – his second win of the year, matching the win total for Regular Season Championship leader Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, and Sam Mayer. Kaulig Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen is a three-race winner in 2024, scoring all three trophies on road courses (at Chicago, Sonoma, Calif. and Portland).

Another of the sport’s best road racing drivers, Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger is still looking to score his first Xfinity Series win at the track. A victory this weekend would also be his first of the season, although he is the highest ranked driver (ninth) in terms of points without a win, with a safe 144-point advantage over Ryan Sieg in 13th place.

Sieg took a hard hit in points last week when he was collected in a late race multi-car accident at Atlanta. He now trails JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith by 44 points for that 12th and final Playoff points position.

What looked a lot like a championship lock for Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has now become a close tussle between the reigning series champ Custer and Allgaier. The 26-year-old Californian, Custer, led Allgaier by double digits only three races ago, but three finishes of 30th or worse in the last four races have instead left him 34 points behind Allgaier with just two races to decide the regular season title.

Connor Zilisch is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

There are also several fulltime NASCAR Cup Series drivers entered from Joey Logano to William Byron, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs and part-time competitor Aric Almirola. International drivers Ed Jones and Alon Day are also on the entry list.

  • Mission 200 at the Glen
  • Pole Winner: Connor Zilisch
  • Age: 18
  • Team : No 88 - Carolina Carports Chevrolet
  • Owner: Dale Earnhardt, Jr
  • Crew Chief: Andrew Overstreet
  • Connor Zilisch won the Pole Award for the Mission 200 at the Glen with a lap of 71028 seconds, 124176 mph
  • This is his first pole in one NASCAR Xfinity Series races
  • This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2024
  • This is his first pole in one races at Watkins Glen International
  • Ty Gibbs (second) posted his sixth top-10 start of 2024 and his third in four races at Watkins Glen International
  • AJ Allmendinger (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Watkins Glen International It is his 18th in 25 races this season
  • Jesse Love (11th) was the fastest qualifying rookie

  • Saturday, September 14th, 2024
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain
Connor Zilisch wins from the pole in Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen

Introducing. … Connor Zilisch.

The 18-year-old North Carolina native made his formal entrée into big time NASCAR racing with a major statement holding off the field on a pair of thrilling overtime restarts at the historic 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course to claim his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in his first career start.

The Mission 200 at The Glen finished under caution with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sheldon Creed finishing runner-up – for a record 12th time – emerging from a three-wide battle for second place with a multi-car accident farther behind in the field bringing out the yellow flag that ultimately froze the field.

“I worked so hard for this one,” a smiling Zilisch said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me, man. I don’t even have words.

“I don’t know how I saved enough, I sputtered up the hill,” he said of having to save fuel in the closing laps which included a restart with two laps remaining and then two more in overtime.

“With two to go, I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the line even. I’m going to enjoy this one for a while. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me.”

Zilisch, who also won in class in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona IMSA race, is the seventh driver to win in his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start – a list that includes the legendary Dale Earnhardt and current NASCAR Cup Series standout Ty Gibbs. And he becomes the second youngest race winner- to Joey Logano – in series history at 18 years, one month and 23 days.

It was that kind of weekend for the young driver, who led a race best 45 of the 90 laps after earning his first career Xfinity Series pole position earlier Saturday. On Friday, he claimed his fifth ARCA Menards Series victory in seven starts.

His work Saturday wasn’t necessarily an “easy” win, however. He really had to earn it – rallying from a mid-race penalty and managing fuel in the closing laps.

In an unusual situation during a caution, Zilisch received a penalty while running among the top-three late in the race. NASCAR ruled the top-running trio – also including Gibbs and Sammy Smith – cut the course and the penalty sent them all to the rear for the restart. Zilisch rallied from 31st-place and was top-five 20 laps later.

Creed, who is still competing for that first series victory after so many close calls, smiled on pit road Saturday, conceding this time his second-place finish was one he could actually be pleased with instead of seeing it as a near-miss. His rally on the final lap getting the best of some of the best road course drivers was a small victory in and of itself.

“Just trying to keep the nose on it there, actually really fun,” Creed said of the last lap battle. “I felt like that was the battle for the win probably there if the 88 [Zilisch] ran out [of fuel]. I thought I put myself in really good positions to end up second again. I’m actually happy, for how my day was going.”

He finished just ahead of Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ all-time road course best, JGR teammate Chandler Smith and Kaulig’s Shane van Gisbergen, who had won the season’s previous three road course races.

Van Gisbergen was so impressed with Zilisch that when he congratulated the teenager in Victory Lane, he smiled and suggested some team should put Zilisch in a NASCAR Cup Series car for Sunday’s race.

Zilisch’s took a call from team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. during his winner’s press conference.

“Enjoy this, you never win your “first” again,” Earnhardt told him.

Ross Chastain, who won the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the track earlier Saturday, finished sixth in the DGM Racing Chevrolet with Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman scoring a seventh-place finish. Richard Childress Racing rookie Jesse Love was eighth, followed by Joey Logano in the AM Racing car and MBM Motorsports’ Josh Bilicki.

The race was impactful with only a single event now left in the regular season to determine the 12-driver Playoff field. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier finished 17th after an eventful day when the veteran was collected in multiple multi-car incidents. But he still emerged as the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader by 43-points over defending series champion, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who finished 21st Saturday after also being caught up in incidents on track.

At the other end of the standings, JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith was able to slightly extend his advantage over RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg for the 12th and final Playoff position. Despite a mechanical issue from his first green flag pit stop, Smith was able to rally to a 19th-place finish. Sieg, who collected points during the second stage, is now 44 points behind Smith heading to Bristol.

The regular season finale concludes with next Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Current NASCAR Cup Series driver Noah Gragson is the defending race winner.

  • Drivers Entered: 41 (3 drivers will not make the race)
  • Laps Scheduled: 82
  • Laps Actual: 90 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
  • Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds
  • Time of Race: 2 Hours 35 Minutes 38 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 85.007
  • Cautions: 7 for 19 laps
  • Lead Changes: 10
  • Green Flag Passes: 1,916 (27.0 passes per green flag lap)

  • Watkins Glen International
  • Mission 200 at the Glen
  • Race Winner: Connor Zilisch
  • Age: 18
  • Team : No 88 - Carolina Carports Chevrolet
  • Owner: JR Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Andrew Overstreet
  • Connor Zilisch won the Mission 200 at the Glen, his first victory in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut - he is the seventh different driver to win in their Xfinity Series debut
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2024
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one race at Watkins Glen International
  • Sheldon Creed (second) posted his third top-10 finish in three races at Watkins Glen International It is his 16th top-10 finish in 2024
  • AJ Allmendinger (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Watkins Glen International
  • Shane Van Gisbergen (fifth) was the highest finishing rookie
  • Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 43 points over Cole Custer
Connor Zilisch celebrates in victory lane
Watkins Glen, New York - September 14, 2024 : Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Carolina Carports Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.
Chris GraythenGetty Images
Mission 200 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International results
FIN ST # DRIVER MAKE TOT PTS FIN PTS STG PTS PO PTS LAPS LED X LED S1 S2 STATUS
3 3 16 AJ Allmendinger Chevrolet 34 34 0 0 90 5 1 0 0 Running
26 8 20 Aric Almirola Toyota 19 11 8 0 88 0 0 3 0 Running
9 33 15 Joey Logano Ford 0 0 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
17 4 7 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 35 20 15 0 90 0 0 2 5 Running
7 19 48 Parker Kligerman Chevrolet 30 30 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
31 28 27 Jeb Burton Chevrolet 6 6 0 0 81 0 0 0 0 Oil Leak
35 20 38 Matt DiBenedetto Ford 2 2 0 0 75 0 0 0 0 Rear Gear
15 35 43 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 22 22 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
22 14 39 Ryan Sieg Ford 19 15 4 0 89 0 0 9 9 Running
6 21 92 Ross Chastain Chevrolet 0 0 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
36 22 45 Alon Day Chevrolet 1 1 0 0 57 0 0 0 0 Brakes
38 29 36 Kyle Weatherman Chevrolet 1 1 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 Rear End
12 7 17 William Byron Chevrolet 0 0 0 0 90 16 2 0 1 Running
23 31 44 Brennan Poole Chevrolet 14 14 0 0 89 0 0 0 0 Running
21 15 00 Cole Custer Ford 26 16 10 0 90 6 1 6 6 Running
10 26 91 Josh Bilicki Chevrolet 27 27 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
33 10 21 Austin Hill Chevrolet 7 4 3 0 80 0 0 0 8 Accident
28 16 9 Brandon Jones Chevrolet 9 9 0 0 84 0 0 0 0 Accident
18 18 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 21 19 2 0 90 0 0 10 10 Running
32 38 11 Josh Williams Chevrolet 5 5 0 0 80 0 0 0 0 Accident
13 12 98 Riley Herbst Ford 31 24 7 0 90 0 0 8 7 Running
34 24 5 Anthony Alfredo Chevrolet 3 3 0 0 80 0 0 0 0 Accident
27 34 14 RC Enerson Chevrolet 10 10 0 0 85 0 0 0 0 Running
2 9 18 Sheldon Creed Toyota 41 35 6 0 90 0 0 5 0 Running
25 2 19 Ty Gibbs Toyota 0 0 0 0 89 3 2 0 2 Running
37 36 28 Kyle Sieg Ford 1 1 0 0 54 0 0 0 0 Axle
20 5 1 Sam Mayer Chevrolet 24 17 7 0 90 1 1 0 4 Running
30 25 87 Mike Skeen Chevrolet 7 7 0 0 83 0 0 0 0 Accident
4 6 81 Chandler Smith Toyota 40 33 7 0 90 0 0 4 0 Running
14 23 31 Parker Retzlaff Chevrolet 23 23 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
19 17 8 Sammy Smith Chevrolet 18 18 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
16 32 42 Leland Honeyman Jr Chevrolet 21 21 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
24 37 26 Ed Jones Toyota 13 13 0 0 89 0 0 0 0 Running
8 11 2 Jesse Love Chevrolet 33 29 4 0 90 0 0 7 0 Running
5 13 97 Shane van Gisbergen Chevrolet 32 32 0 0 90 14 1 0 0 Running
1 1 88 Connor Zilisch Chevrolet 64 40 18 6 90 45 3 1 3 Running
11 27 32 Austin Green Chevrolet 26 26 0 0 90 0 0 0 0 Running
29 30 35 Thomas Annunziata Toyota 8 8 0 0 84 0 0 0 0 Running

Race Infractions

Penalties imposed prior to or during the race.

Driver Infraction Penalty Lap Lap Assessed Flag
Ed Jones Pre-Race to the Rear Engine Change Tail End 0 0 White
Josh Williams Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Joey Logano Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Jeb Burton Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Ross Chastain Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Shane van Gisbergen Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Kyle Weatherman Speeding on pit road Garage Pass Thru 15 0 Green
Chandler Smith Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 21 24 Yellow
Alon Day Speeding on pit road Tail End 22 24 Yellow
Alon Day Safety violation Tail End 22 24 Yellow
Thomas Annunziata Speeding on pit road Tail End 22 24 Yellow
Aric Almirola Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 41 44 Yellow
Jeremy Clements Speeding on pit road Tail End 42 44 Yellow
Ty Gibbs Unspecified Driving through the Inner Loop Tail End 46 49 Yellow
Sam Mayer Unspecified Driving through the Inner Loop Tail End 46 49 Yellow
Connor Zilisch Unspecified Driving through the Inner Loop Tail End 46 49 Yellow
Austin Hill Speeding on pit road Tail End 47 49 Yellow
Kyle Sieg Speeding on pit road Garage Pass Thru 55 0 Green
Alon Day Unspecified Driving through the Inner Loop - Garage Pass Thru 59 0 Green
RC Enerson Driving through more than 3 pit boxes On Exit Pass Thru 64 66 Green
Shane van Gisbergen Speeding on pit road Pass Thru 67 68 Green
Matt DiBenedetto Pitting before pit road is open Garage Tail End 77 0 Yellow
Aric Almirola Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 78 80 Yellow
Josh Bilicki Speeding on pit road Tail End 78 80 Yellow
Ryan Ellis Car/Truck pitting out of the assigned pit box Tail End 79 80 Yellow
Leland Honeyman Jr Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 81 83 Yellow
Anthony Alfredo Pitting before pit road is open Garage Tail End 81 0 Yellow
Ed Jones Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 81 83 Yellow
Josh Williams Pitting before pit road is open Parked NASCAR Discretion 81 0 Red
Brandon Jones Pitting before pit road is open Garage Tail End 84 0 Yellow
Ty Gibbs Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 85 88 Yellow
RC Enerson Unspecified Choose Violation Tail End 87 88 Yellow