Oh, What A Relief It Is — Kligerman Wins For Zilisch

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The record book will list Connor Zilisch as the winner of the Wawa 250 Presented by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway.

But it was part-timer Parker Kligerman who did the heavy lifting in Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to victory in relief of the 19-year-old prodigy.

With Zilisch determined to protect the collarbone be broke in a fall in victory lane two weeks ago at Watkins Glen, Kligerman got behind the wheel in a driver switch under caution on Lap 13.

From that point through an overtime that took the race to Lap 104, Kligerman drove a masterful race. His victory was welcome consolation for a heart-wrenching loss at Daytona in February, when Kligerman was first to the finish line in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event but suffered a disqualification for a ride-height infraction.

Racing-reference.info, the statistics bible of motor racing, will credit Zilisch with his seventh win of the season, tying Christopher Bell for most by a Sunoco rookie in series history, but it was Kligerman who performed the celebratory burnout on the frontstretch at the World Center of Racing.

“It’s different in every way, because I didn’t expect to get a call from (team owner) Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. on the day I was leaving for vacation, saying ‘Hey, man, would you come drive this thing?’

“I hate the circumstances for Connor. He’s an amazing generational talent. I feel honored to have gotten the call to grace the seat that he’s been in, that Kyle Larson’s been in… For me, it’s such a neat thing that this will not be on Racing Reference at all.”

After the overtime restart on Lap 103, Zilisch got a strong push from teammate and eventual third-place finisher Justin Allgaier. He controlled the final two circuits until a massive 13-car wreck in Turn 4 ended the race under caution.

With Sammy Smith running second, JR Motorsports enjoyed a 1-2-3 finish.

It was the second time this season Zilisch has watched his car win a race. After a hard crash at Talladega in April, Zilisch sat out the subsequent race at Texas Motor Speedway, with Larson winning in the No. 88.

But on this Friday night, Zilisch ran from the pit box to the frontstretch to congratulate Kligerman. The drivers shared a delicate hug, with Kligerman mindful of Zilisch’s surgically repaired collarbone, which is still on the mend.

“It’s weird,” Zilisch said. “It was really weird the last time I did it, and I never thought I’d have to do it again… But I love Parker. I’ve been a fan of Parker for a long time. He’s another one I’m OK watching win inside my race car.

“I’m glad that I got to start the race and get the points for my team.”

With a fifth-place finish in Stage 1 and a win in Stage 2, Allgaier regained the series lead from Zilisch and takes a four-point advantage to the Aug.30 event at Portland International Raceway.

Deeper in the series standings, the fortunes of cousins Harrison Burton and Jeb Burton—both fighting for the final spot in the Xfinity Playoffs—changed radically during the race. On Lap 10, Harrison Burton’s No. 25 Ford spun after contact from Matt DiBenedetto’s Chevrolet.

With no caution called, Harrison lost two laps getting to pit road, but he regained one circuit as the beneficiary under a caution for rain on Lap 12 and returned to the lead lap under caution for the first stage break at Lap 30.

Jeb Burton scored two points for his ninth-place finish in Stage 1, but his luck soon turned negative. On Lap 20 contact between Jeb’s No. 27 Chevrolet and Smith’s No. 8 Camaro ignited a six-car wreck, but Jeb recovered to run in the top 15 before an 11-car melee on Lap 97 collected both cousins.

Harrison finished 16th to Jeb’s 20th, giving Harrison a 36-point lead for the final Playoff spot with two races left in the regular season.

Jesse Love finished fourth, followed by Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Dean Thompson, Garrett Smithley, Brennan Poole and Carson Kvapil.

Ryan Sieg led a race-high 19 laps but was wiped out in the Lap 97 accident and finished 31st, dropping 56 points below the current elimination line for the Playoffs.