Connor Zilisch had a fantastic beginning to his big weekend at Watkins Glen International with a perfect start in Friday’s General Tire 100 at the Glen.
Zilisch set a dominant tone in the qualifying round by securing the General Tire Pole position, clocking a time nearly one second faster than William Sawalich in second place.
With no one challenging him, Zilisch easily extended his lead to claim one of the most commanding victories of his early career, finishing with an 11-second advantage. His flawless performance at Watkins Glen marked his fifth national win in the ARCA Menards Series out of six races.
Zilisch had a Watkins Glen victory all but wrapped up last year after putting together a performance like the one on Friday. A late caution set up a one-lap shootout that required Zilisch to play both offense and defense on a wet race track.
Zilisch managed to regain the lead after the last restart, but he had to defend against Jesse Love in challenging conditions. Love closed in on Zilisch in Turn 11, passed him, and went on to secure one of his 10 wins on the way to the championship.
Having Love as his spotter for the General Tire 100 at the Glen instead of his rival, Zilisch gained extra momentum, complementing his road course expertise, which includes winning the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
After passing Sawalich at the beginning, Zilisch demonstrated an unstoppable performance throughout all 41 laps at Watkins Glen.
As Zilisch's No. 28 Chevrolet Performance/Silver Hare Development Chevrolet faded in his rearview mirror, Sawalich could only observe. Despite achieving second place, Sawalich deemed the afternoon a success but acknowledged that he lacked the means to truly compete with Zilisch for the victory.
Sawalich mentioned that he was able to keep up with [Zilisch] during restarts at Turn 1, but that was the extent of it. Although [Zilisch] had a very fast car, Sawalich pointed out that their Toyota Camry performed well that day. He expressed pride in the team for bringing the car back in good condition. Sawalich enjoyed the race but acknowledged that they had a car that was only capable of securing second place overall.
Now focusing on the upcoming ARCA Menards Series East finale at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday is Sawalich. As the defending winner, he believes he can secure a second consecutive victory at Bristol, but he acknowledges that closing the 16-point gap to Zilisch will demand a strong and determined performance.
Comments