MARTINSVILLE, Va.—Connor Zilisch has never raced an Xfinity Series car at Martinsville Speedway.
That didn’t stop the 18-year-old rookie from posting the fastest lap in qualifying for the US Marine Corps 250 at the half-mile oval on Friday.
Zilisch knocked Carson Kvapil off of the provisional pole with a lap at 95.213 mph (19.654 seconds)—0.026 seconds quicker than his JR Motorsports teammate, who turned a lap at 95.018 mph.
“It feels awesome,” Zilisch said. “It means a lot to come back with Carolina Carports after winning my debut race with them last year. To continue to support me and to come back with me at Martinsville is really cool.
“We have a car as fast as Xfinity mobile. To start up front here, it’s super important to have track position and get yourself up front early. Excited for the race tomorrow. I’ve got a lot to learn. But I’m really excited to be up front, race with the best and learn from the best.”
His fellow freshman Kvapil will share the front row. Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love qualified third and fourth, followed by previous Martinsville NXS winner Harrison Burton and points leader Justin Allgaier.
Zilisch has proved to be a quick study. Last year in the Martinsville Craftsman Truck Series race, he started 27th and finished 12th. In his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with JRM last September at Watkins Glen, he won from the pole. He produced two additional top-five results in his final three NXS races in 2024.
Zilisch was the first Xfinity driver to earn two poles this season. Not surprisingly, the Trackhouse Racing protege leads the Xfinity Series with an average qualifying effort of 5.857—bolstered by six consecutive top-10 time trial performances.
As Zilisch’s qualifying has improved, so have the No. 88 JRM team’s finishes.
“It has helped so much,” Zilisch said. “We’ve gotten stage points is Stage 1 almost every race. Just starting your day off on the right foot is so important to getting stage points and learning. Being up front, with the fast guys early in the race and being able to learn from them is so important.
“It’s good to have all of the good qualifying results this year but I have to start executing and transferring that to the race, too.”
Although Zilisch struggled to start the NXS season at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, he returned to Victory Lane the following week at Circuit of the Americas—his second victory from the pole.
Does he feel pressure to continue the trend at Martinsville on Saturday?
“This track is especially chaotic,” Zilisch said. “It’s going to be a pressure-filled race tomorrow. But I’m really excited for it. I’ve been having a lot of fun this year, just minimizing the mistakes.
“I know we’re going to be really good. All of the (JRM) cars have been fast to start the season. It’s been a lot of fun racing with fast cars. It makes all of our jobs a lot easier. We’ve got four really fast drivers this season with Sammy (Smith), Justin and Carson.
“I’m hoping to continue that through the season. Obviously, momentum is a big thing in racing and our team has certainly got it through the first six races this year.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at [email protected].
