“I’m excited to see how he does” - William Byron intrigued about NASCAR sensation Connor Zilisch’s future

William Byron touched upon Connor Zilisch's future, ahead of the young driver's debut at the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, in his recent interview, stated that he was excited to see how the 18-year-old performs in the Xfinity Series.

Zilisch did not disappoint. The JR Motorsport driver drove an incredible debut race from the pole position, claimed Stage 1 victory, and in the end, went on to claim the race victory. With this, he became one of seven drivers to have won his debut Xfinity Series race.

Byron was asked about Zilisch before the race and said (via Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports),

"He's really been impressive, he's doing all the right things, and making a lot of speed out there and... you know... it's hard to judge when you're in an ARCA race, for say. But I feel like he'll get out there today and I'm excited to see how he does."

Zilisch competed in the Mission 200 race alongside other Cup Series drivers such as William Byron, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, and Joey Logano.

The JR Motorsport man overcame his penalty, which he received after cutting off bus stop after caution, and managed to save just about enough fuel to cross the finish line and do a burnout.

Byron, meanwhile, started his race from seventh place, and came home in 12th place, behind Austin Green and ahead of Riley Herbst. Sheldon Creed and AJ Allmendinger finished the race in second and third positions, respectively.

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Connor Zilisch following the race win: "Been working for this for months"

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch celebrates in victory lane after winning the Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

After Connor Zilisch claimed an astonishing victory at Watkins Glen, he said it wasn't an overnight success for him. The 18-year-old in the post-race interview shared he had been preparing for a while.

Zilisch said,

“I don’t even have words. I’ve worked so hard for this one. I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me man. I don’t even have words right now."

"I don’t know how I saved enough, I sputtered up the hill with two to go I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the line, I was saving the last two laps. But man, I’m going to enjoy this one for a while," he added.

Zilisch with the victory has added his name alongside the likes of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Joe Ruttman, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Kurt Busch, and Ty Gibbs.