"This kid is damn beast";"Better than any cup driver" - NASCAR fans react as Connor Zilisch grabs Xfinity pole on debut with JR Motorsports

Trackhouse Racing prodigy Connor Zilisch stormed to pole position in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International. Reminiscent of his debut pole position effort in the Truck Series, Zilisch has now topped the charts in the Xfinity Series.

Driving the #88 JR Motorsports Chevy, Zilisch made his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen and immediately made an impression by topping the practice session. He replicated this performance in the qualifying session, securing pole position with a 0.150-second advantage over his nearest rival.

Zilisch outperformed several Cup Series drivers, Xfinity regulars, and road course specialists, including Shane van Gisbergen, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and William Byron. Zilisch and Gibbs will lead the field to the green flag in the Mission 200 at the Glen Xfinity race this Saturday, September 14.

Following Zilisch's impressive debut qualifying effort, NASCAR fans lauded the 18-year-old JR Motorsports driver. His remarkable speed and talent drew comparisons to Cup Series drivers, making the rest of the Xfinity regulars appear like rookies on the road course. One X (previously Twitter) user wrote,

"This kid is a damn beast"

Another X user suggested that Zilisch is a better road course driver than any Cup Series driver.

"He’s better than any cup driver currently," the comment read.

A third X user stated that the 18-year-old made the Xfinity field look like rookies.

"This dude about to come in and make the whole field look like rookies," the comment read.

Here are a few other comments praising Zilisch's debut pole position effort:

"DAMN! That’s talent right there!" one comment read.

"This Connor Zilisch dominance could bore fans. 😂," another X user jokingly suggested.

"Yeah this dude is generational," a third X user wrote.

---

Connor Zilisch aiming for a clean race in NASCAR Xfinity debut

Connor Zilisch's debut in the Truck Series at COTA earlier this year was marked by a remarkable qualifying performance that set a track record and secured pole position. However, the race itself was not without its challenges. In a chaotic race, he overshot Turn 1 on the first lap but later charged through the field to a fourth-place result.

Following his Xfinity pole position, the #88 JR Motorsports driver joked that he hoped not to miss Turn One in the Xfinity debut. Here's what he said on NBC Sports:

"Hopefully, later today in the race I won’t miss turn one and we can have a clean race and be there at the end, but it’s a long race, so I just got to take my time and learn as we go, there’s a lot of great guys around me with a lot of talent, so definitely a lot to learn in the race later today, but starting off the day on a good note."

Zilisch became the first driver to start from the pole on debut in multiple NASCAR national series. After a dominant victory in the ARCA race earlier this weekend, the 18-year-old will be aiming to convert his pole position into a win in his debut Xfinity outing.