Connor Zilisch is currently relaxing in the NASCAR offseason after completing a historic rookie year in the Xfinity Series. He won ten races throughout the season, but sadly, could only finish second in the standings after failing to get the better of Jesse Love in the Championship 4 race at the Phoenix Raceway.<\/p>\n
This has put Zilisch<\/a> on a list filled with elite drivers who failed to win the championship despite winning ten or more races in a season. In 1985, Bill Elliott won 11 races in the Cup Series. But he finished as the runner-up to Junior Johnson, who was crowned champion. In 1993, Rusty Wallace won ten races and still only finished in second place after failing to overcome Dale Earnhardt.<\/p>\n Jeff Gordon went through something similar in 1996. He won ten races that year and settled for runner-up in the final standings. The season is still remembered greatly for the massive upset that Terry Labonte caused by defeating Gordon<\/a>. <\/p>\n Zilisch is the final notable name along these lines. Despite the negative shade of the stat, his achievement speaks volumes about his caliber and potential.<\/p>\n Notable NASCAR seasons where a driver won 10+ races but did not win the championship<\/p>\n 1985 Cup: Bill Elliott (11 wins, 2nd in standings) \u2014 Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Zilisch told<\/a> the media during the 2025 NASCAR Awards, \u201cI\u2019ve come to terms with what\u2019s happened. And at this point, I can\u2019t do anything about it, so there\u2019s no reason to hang on to it. I mean, it\u2019s life. The sun came up Sunday morning, and the world kept spinning.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the day, the JR Motorsports<\/a> driver is just glad that he did everything he could along with his crew.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for Zilisch?<\/p>\n Losing a title after getting so close to it is bound to be heartbreaking. But Zilisch must remember that this won\u2019t be the last time he gets such a clear shot at the championship. In 2026, he will be joining the armada of Trackhouse Racing. He will be teammates with Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen in the NASCAR Cup Series.<\/p>\n This is a big step ahead in Zilisch\u2019s career. The 2025 Cup champion Kyle Larson and runner-up Denny Hamlin<\/a> appear to have had some strong advice for him at this juncture. Zilisch revealed, \u201cKyle Larson texted me. And he just said, \u2018This isn\u2019t going to change your career. I know it sucks.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you know, he wrote me a nice message. Denny texted me that night, kind of similar. So yeah, I mean, there were a few people that reached out that it means a lot to hear from.\u201d <\/p>\n Hopefully, Zilisch takes their advice and gets to the Cup Series stronger than ever.<\/p>\n
1993 Cup: Rusty Wallace (10 wins, 2nd)
1996 Cup: Jeff Gordon (10 wins, 2nd)
2025 Xfinity: Connor Zilisch (10 wins, 2nd) pic.twitter.com\/rpiEmkOkch<\/a><\/p>\n