NASCAR prodigy Connor Zilisch claims back-to-back poles on his first visit to Bristol Motor Speedway

Connor Zilisch, the next rising star of NASCAR, is on a hot streak from the past few races. After dominating his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen, he showcased his skill set again at the Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19. The eighteen-year-old prodigy won pole positions in his two races at the Bristol track.

Zilisch smoked the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA series after taking pole positions at Xfinity and ARCA at the Glens. The Spire Motorsports #7 Chevy driver finished the qualifying lap in a mere 15.325 seconds with a top speed of 125.207 mph and was 0.126 seconds faster than the runner-up.

Connor Zilisch didn't stop; he also claimed his fourth pole position at the Bush's Beans 200 in the ARCA Menards Series on September 19. The 18-year-old NASCAR rising star had a best time of 15.503 seconds with a top speed of 123.77 mph. This was the second time Connor Zilisch outperformed the Toyota driver William Sawalich with a difference of 0.043 seconds.

Earlier, the young prodigy won the pole position at Watkins Glen with the best time of 01:13.8 seconds, reaching a top speed of 119.548 mph. William Sawalich was just 0.68 seconds behind the #28 driver.

The Trackhouse Racing team, impressed by the young talent, shared his winning pictures on their X account. The team also mentioned that Connor Zilisch raced at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time and won the pole in both formats, appreciating his versatility.

Connor Zilisch's crash at Bristol Motor Speedway

The 18-year-old had an impressive start at the ARCA Menard Series Championship in Bristol, but things took a sudden turn. After starting the race from the pole position, Connor Zilisch suffered an accident. Logan Misucara spun out and re-entered the track, and Zilisch got into an unavoidable crash, wrecking the right rear side of his car and ending his race in just 64 laps.

In a post-race interview, he expressed his frustration about the crash.

"So, I hate to end a season like that and lose a championship in that way too; it's frustrating. But we've had a hell of a year with our Pinnacle Racing Group team and everyone at Silver Hare Racing and nothing to hang our heads on. Just a frustrating way to go out," said Zilisch.

The #28 Chevy driver finished the race in 26th place and completed just 64 laps in the 205-lap race. On the other hand, William Sawalich won the race. The crash made a huge impact on the young talent's championship standings. After the Bristol crash, the Toyota driver is leading the standings, and Zilisch needs a stellar performance at the Reese's 150 scheduled on September 27 at the Kansas Speedway.