Connor Zilisch ended the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season in heartbreaking fashion. In the closing laps at Phoenix Raceway, Zilisch was passed by his best friend, Jesse Love, and lost the championship. The JR Motorsports driver dominated the season, but it wasn’t enough to win the title.
Zilisch completed the year with 10 wins, 20 top-5 finishes, 23 top-10 finishes, 1,013 laps led, and an 8.0 average finishing position, and a second-place finish in the point standings. It was a dominant season for Zilisch, who earned the most wins of any Xfinity Series driver in their rookie season.
The driver of the No. 88 car is a future Cup Series superstar, and despite not winning the 2025 Xfinity Series championship, that is not changing. Zilisch will move to Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2026, beginning what could be a very long career at the top of stock car racing.