TC Daily Pit Stop: Zilisch Takes 3rd-Straight Xfinity Win as Hill Right-Rear Hooks Almirola; Briscoe on Brickyard 400 Pole; Hamlin Crashes
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, July 27th, 2025
Connor Zilisch Collects 100th Xfinity Win for JR Motorsports
Connor Zilisch continues to showcase why he is the hottest prospect in the NASCAR National Series in quite some time, if not all-time. On Saturday afternoon, the now 19-year-old driver took his third consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series win as he bested Taylor Gray in the closing laps of the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The win, which brings Zilisch to six victories in his brief NASCAR Xfinity Series career, marked the 100th all-time NASCAR Xfinity Series win for JR Motorsports, the team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller.
“This is awesome. Those bricks look really kissable and I’m ready to kiss them,” said Zilisch. “One hundred wins for JR Motorsports. Congratulations to Dale, Kelley, and L.W., everybody who has raced at JRM, and everybody who works at JRM. I’m the smallest part of this team, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.”
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OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS
Austin Hill Scrutinized For Incident With Aric Almirola; NASCAR Suspension Incoming?
While Zilisch took the win in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the event featured a controversial incident involving Austin Hill and Aric Almirola with 10 laps to go. Almirola got Hill loose in Turn 3, and attempted to scoot by for the fourth position. As Almirola was going by, Hill turned hard left into the right rear quarterpanel of Almirola’s No. 19 car, which sent Almirola hard into the outside wall.
While Hill didn’t speak to the media about the incident after the race, Almirola called the right-rear hook from Hill intentional.
“Oh, it was definitely intentional,” Almirola said of the right rear hook. “He blocked me three times. Finally got him loose into [Turn] 3, he had damage on the nose, so he was really slow in the corners. And so, it was time to go. We’re coming to nine laps to go, and the leaders are starting to put a gap on us. So, it’s time to go. And I got him loose, and yeah, he just turned left and hit me in the right rear. Honestly, one of the biggest hits I’ve had in my NASCAR career. Very reminiscent of the hit I took when I broke my bag. So, glad I’m okay.”
Hill was held for five laps by NASCAR for rough driving, but many have questioned whether Hill should be suspended for his actions. If he is suspended, Hill will forfeit his 21 earned Playoff Points, and any Playoff points earned the remainder of the season.
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Chase Briscoe Snags Hometown Pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Chase Briscoe continued to show his qualifying prowess by scoring his fifth pole position of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The native of Mitchell, IN, will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 behind the wheel of his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as he attempts to check off a childhood dream.
“Just being from really 70 miles down the road and coming here as a kid, I mean I got my first uniform in racing, as you drive out the tunnel in [Turns 1 and 2] there’s a brick building, that’s where I got my first ever uniform,” said Briscoe. “Just dreaming about coming to this place and sitting in the same grandstands all the fans are. I mean, I was dreaming about being on the other side of the fence and now to be able to do that is unbelievable.”
Bubba Wallace secured the second starting spot, and will lineup alongside Briscoe on the initial start of Sunday’s crown jewel event. Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, and Ty Gibbs — who is battling Ty Dillon for the In-Season Tournament championship — were the remainder of the top-five qualifiers.
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OFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP
Denny Hamlin’s Quest For Brickyard 400 Win Hits Snag With Hard Qualifying Crash
If Denny Hamlin is going to join Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson, as the only drivers in NASCAR history to sweep the four NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel events, on Sunday, he’s going to have to overcome a lot of adversity.
Hamlin got tight on the exit of Turn 2 during his qualifying lap on Saturday, pounded the outside wall and spun into the inside SAFER Barrier, which destroyed his primary car. His Joe Gibbs Racing team thrashed to get their backup car prepared for Sunday’s race, but Hamlin will have to start 39th.
If he is going to nab his first Brickyard 400 win, it’ll take a historic run as the furthest any Brickyard 400 winner has ever started was 27th, which was achieved by Jeff Gordon in 2001.
“I’ll just have to do the best that I can,” Hamlin said. “There’s nothing I can do to change the outcome for tomorrow, just give it the best I can, try to get all the points I can. The stage points will probably be a near impossibility from where we’re starting, we just got to try to get the best finish we can.”
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SUNDAY’S TV SCHEDULE:
2:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 (TNT/ HBO Max)
Indianapolis Weekend Resources
Cup Results: Qualifying
Xfinity Results: Practice | Qualifying | Race
Truck Results: Practice | Qualifying | Race
Entry Lists: Cup | Xfinity | Truck
2025 NASCAR Season Resources:
Schedules: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks
Driver Points: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks
Owner Points: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks
Rookie Standings: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks
Manufacturer Standings: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks
2025 Driver/Team Charts: NASCAR Cup | NASCAR Xfinity | NASCAR Trucks