“Upset at myself”: Connor Zilisch owns up, apologizes to JRM teammate Justin Allgaier after Iowa incident

Syndication: The Des Moines Register - Source: Imagn
Connor Zilisch (88) puts in earpieces during NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying on Aug. 2, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa- Source: Imagn

JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, and Justin Allgaier were involved in a crash during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway. Following a restart on Lap 213, Zilisch, who was chasing his fourth win in a row, made a mistake that sent Chastain into Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevy.

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Zilisch was underneath Chastain’s No. 9 at the time, with Allgaier running three-wide. The JR Motorsports newcomer got loose in Turn 1, and that’s when things got out of hand. He did address the issue with Chastain after the race, with the latter saying that he could have probably done things differently. Zilisch, on his part, felt like he could have gone into the corner while maintaining a distance.

During a post-race interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX, Zilisch apologized to Allgaier, the reigning series champion.

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“I feel really bad for the #7 and Justin,” Connor Zilisch told Pockrass. “ I hate that I did that to them. I was pretty upset at myself about that one. Whether it was completely my fault or not, I take responsibility, and I apologize to the #7.”
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Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 41 Mustang for Haas Factory Team, won the 250-lap event, marking his maiden win of the season and bagging a spot in the 2025 playoffs at the same time. Rounding off the top five were Jesse Love, Chastain, Zilisch, and former Cup driver Harrison Burton. Allgaier finished 16th, picking up a total of 22 points on the way.

Next up for the drivers is the Mission 200 race at Watkins Glen International. Scheduled for next Saturday, August 9, the 82-lap event will be televised on CW, with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio starting at 3 pm ET.

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Connor Zilisch loses his cool on the radio during Saturday’s HyVee Perks 250

Connor Zilisch dropped to the back of the field, having to pit twice (due to a loose wheel) after Stage 1. Needless to say, the 19-year-old driver wasn’t happy getting caught up in traffic, especially after winning the opening stage of the race.

Zilisch lost several positions after that. Dropping to 17th, he pulled no punches, expressing his frustration on the team radio. As reported by Dustin Albino of Jayski, Zilisch exclaimed,

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“I'm about to get passed by f*****g Parker Retzlaff. What place are we?"

Seeing things getting heated up, Zilisch’s crew chief, Marty Lindley, told spotter Josh Williams to ask Zilisch to calm down.

Connor Zilisch led a total of 62 laps before his pit road blunder. As things stand, he has five wins to his name this season, the most among all full-time contenders.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma
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