CHICAGO — Shane van Gisbergen outmuscled JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch on a restart with two laps remaining to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course, securing his fourth career Xfinity victory and second consecutive win at the 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit. The intense late-race battle, marked by contact that sent Zilisch into the wall, sparked post-race discussion about the veteran’s aggressive move.
Van Gisbergen, the 36-year-old New Zealand native and three-time Australian Supercars champion, started from the pole and led a race-high 27 laps despite a malfunctioning cool shirt and carburetor issues. A strategic misstep saw him pit late in Stage 2, dropping to 19th, but fresher tires allowed a charge through the field. By Lap 36, he was seventh, closing on Zilisch, who led Laps 38-48 after slicing from a 35th-place start due to a practice crash.
The decisive moment came after a caution triggered by Andre Castro’s crash into the Turn 6 tire barrier. On the restart, van Gisbergen dove inside Zilisch into Turn 1, pushing the 18-year-old rookie wide. Zilisch’s No. 88 Chevrolet scraped the wall, allowing van Gisbergen to pull away for a 0.823-second victory, marking JR Motorsports’ sixth different winner in 2025—a series record.
Post-race, Zilisch expressed mixed feelings about the move. “It wasn’t dirty,” he told reporters, emphasizing the competitive nature of the restart. “I just didn’t expect it. I let him get a nose ahead of me, and at that point, it’s his corner. I could’ve done a better job keeping leverage.” Zilisch, who earned his seventh top-five finish of 2025, admitted he anticipated a cleaner race from his teammate. “I thought he was going to race me a little cleaner,” he said, noting he’d adjust his approach in future battles. “I’ll learn from it and be more aggressive next time.”
Connor Zilisch, American legend.
Van Gisbergen, treated and released from the infield care center for heat-related issues, praised Zilisch’s talent. “He’s a great young driver,” he said. “I knew that was my opportunity, and I took it. Awesome 1-2 for the team.”
Sheldon Creed finished third, followed by Austin Hill and Nick Sanchez. The Xfinity Series heads to Sonoma Raceway next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW. Van Gisbergen, also the Cup Series pole-sitter, aims for a Chicago weekend sweep in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT.
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