#Deadspin #Strategic #call #elevates #Connor #Zilisch #win #Thunder #Valley">Deadspin | Strategic call elevates Connor Zilisch to win at Thunder Valley
Apr 11, 2026; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch (1) celebrates in victory lane after winning at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images BRISTOL, Tenn. — Connor Zilisch rediscovered his identity on Saturday night — as a winner.
Thanks to a bold call from crew chief Rodney Childers, Zilisch stayed out on older tires with 28 laps left in the Suburban Propane 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway and took the checkered flag.
With track position at the front of the field, Zilisch was able to hold off the dominant car of Kyle Larson, who had to settle for second place after leading 230 of 300 laps and sweeping the first two stages in the ninth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts race of the season.
For Zilisch, his first victory on a short track was a welcome respite from the struggles he has faced as rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“That was awesome,” said Zilisch, the fourth different winner for JR Motorsports this season. “It’s been a tough past two weeks for me in the Cup Series, and it feels good to come back down here into the O’Reilly Series and prove that I can still do it.
“It’s tough. You finish in the back every week and you forget who you are. This feels good. We played strategy. Rodney made a great call to keep us out. The tires weren’t wearing much all night, and we were able to get our (No. 1) Roto-Rooter Chevrolet in the track position that I needed to go out and win the race.”
Zilisch picked up his first win of the season, his first at Bristol and the 12th of his career. He was one of four JRM drivers in the top five, a group that included Larson, Justin Allgaier (fourth) and Carson Kvapil (fifth). Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brent Crews crashed that party with a third-place finish on the same strategy that propelled Zilisch to the victory.
For the eighth time in his career, Allgaier collected a $100,000 bonus in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash 4 Cash program as the highest finisher among four eligible drivers (the top four in last Saturday’s race at Rockingham Speedway).
A three-time winner this year, Allgaier retained his series lead by 130 points over second-place Sheldon Creed, who ran sixth at Bristol.
Larson was leading with Allgaier in pursuit early in the final stage, when the engine in Mason Maggio’s Chevrolet exploded on the backstretch, filling the Last Great Coliseum with smoke.
Maggio steered the car to pit road where it erupted in flames. Several of Allgaier’s crew members helped pull Maggio from the car. The driver was uninjured.
But the fireworks were just starting. After the resumption from a 3-minute 5-second red flag period, Larson dominated — until Gray Gaulding’s spin in Turn 1 caused the seventh caution of the evening on lap 270.
Zilisch, Crews and Corey Day stayed out on older tires, with Larson fourth on new rubber. Larson, Zilisch and Crews battled for position until the eighth caution for Anthony Alfredo’s spin on the frontstretch slowed the race for the final time.
An intense battle for the lead followed the subsequent restart with 11 laps left. Larson passed Crews for second and harried Zilisch until his No. 88 Chevy slipped in Turn 4 with just over two laps left, giving Zilisch the margin he needed to win by 0.703 seconds.
The victory was Childers’ first in the O’Reilly Series, after a long and successful run as a Cup crew chief, predominantly with Kevin Harvick.
Larson enjoyed the battle, if not the outcome.
“It’s a bummer, but I had a lot of fun tonight,” said Larson, who will race in Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series event. “Our car was really good. Just tough being the leader in that situation of knowing to pit or not …
“But I’m happy with the run. It just doesn’t always work out.”
Pole winner William Sawalich was seventh, followed by Day, Parker Retzlaff and Taylor Gray. Day recorded his eighth straight top-10 finish.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — Suburban Propane 300
1. (15) Connor Zilisch(i), Chevrolet, 300.
2. (3) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 300.
3. (17) Brent Crews #, Toyota, 300.
4. (7) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 300.
5. (8) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 300.
6. (2) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 300.
7. (1) William Sawalich, Toyota, 300.
8. (14) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 300.
9. (9) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 300.
10. (6) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 300.
11. (11) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 300.
12. (12) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 300.
13. (16) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 300.
14. (38) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 300.
15. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 300.
16. (13) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 300.
17. (22) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 300.
18. (10) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 300.
19. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 300.
20. (5) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 300.
21. (23) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 300.
22. (30) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 299.
23. (27) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 299.
24. (21) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 298.
25. (20) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 298.
26. (34) JJ Yeley, Ford, 298.
27. (32) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 298.
28. (28) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 298.
29. (29) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 297.
30. (33) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 297.
31. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 297.
32. (26) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 295.
33. (24) Logan Bearden, Chevrolet, 295.
34. (37) Blake Lothian, Toyota, 295.
35. (25) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 290.
36. (18) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 287.
37. (31) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Engine, 191.
38. (35) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Suspension, 176.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 77.884 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 3 Mins, 11 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.703 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 59 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: W. Sawalich 1-27;K. Larson(i) 28-64;B. Jones 65;R. Sieg 66-69;J. Clements 70;R. Sieg 71-79;K. Larson(i) 80-175;B. Jones 176;K. Larson(i) 177-272;C. Zilisch(i) 273-288;K. Larson(i) 289;C. Zilisch(i) 290;B. Crews # 291-293;C. Zilisch(i) 294-300.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Larson(i) 4 times for 230 laps; William Sawalich 1 time for 27 laps; Connor Zilisch(i) 3 times for 24 laps; Ryan Sieg 2 times for 13 laps; Brent Crews # 1 time for 3 laps; Brandon Jones 2 times for 2 laps; Jeremy Clements 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 88,00,39,7,20,18,1,2,41,17
Stage #2 Top Ten: 88,00,7,1,19,18,20,41,17,9
–By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
#Deadspin #Strategic #call #elevates #Connor #Zilisch #win #Thunder #Valley
![IPL 2026: Sanju Samson stakes claim to be CSK’s ‘leading man’ with maiden hundred in yellow jersey Viyarppu thunniyitta kuppayam. Athil nirangal mangukilla kattayam. [Dress spun from sweat; more vivid than any story ever told].The opening lyrics of the song ‘Kuthanthram’ from the 2024 Malayalam classic ‘Manjummel Boys’ left a lasting imprint on people’s minds due to its quirky metaphorical connotation.Indian batter Sanju Samson had referenced the phrase in a social media post after finding a spot back in the playing eleven after being dropped following a disappointing tour of Australia.A lot has transpired in Samson’s life since that game in December 2025. He was dropped from the team again. He was reintegrated again. And then he played three career-defining knocks, one after the other, to guide his nation to a third T20 World Cup triumph.On Saturday, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, another vivid story was written when a drenched-in-sweat Samson yielded his willow after Chennai Super Kings’ first innings against Delhi Capitals. An unbeaten 115 in front of 30,000 yellow-clad fans at his new amphitheatre was the first real indication of a metamorphosis foreseen by many since the 31-year-old traded his longstanding pink for yellow ahead of the new IPL season.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGy2jRz8Jc[/embed]Like most things in his more-than-a-decade-long career so far, this too did not come easy for him. Three consecutive no-shows with the bat, all while being the torchbearer for the side’s new injection of exuberance, almost extinguished the halo of nobility that appeared after his World Cup exploits.The first ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi set the tone for the day. You would imagine that a batter who was dismissed thrice in succession by the ball moving away — twice through an outside edge looking to push away from off-stump — would look to ensure there was no movement on offer before playing a similar shot. Not Samson. He prodded his front foot across, in a sign of immense self-confidence, to caress the ball through the covers and pick up three.While his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, struggled to combine both timing and the art of finding the gap together, Samson delivered a clinic in batting against pace in the PowerPlay, combining composure and direction to give his side a rapid start. Two gorgeous fours over extra-cover against Axar Patel followed, after which the Kerala batter slipped his vehicle into autopilot, the likes of which we saw at the victorious multi-nation tournament.A bothersome back, a dropped catch in the deep, and an unnerving prolonged stint in the 90s later, a fortuitous outside edge of the blade took him to three figures, one that the crowd welcomed with ear-splitting whistles and a standing ovation. The CSK fanbase has long venerated a wicketkeeper-batter to such a degree that he is now considered to be the son of the soil. The unyielding fandom has grown to such an extent that it forces him to return to play in front of the adoring crowd despite his growing years. It can’t go on forever, though. But now, there is a successor in place, and Saturday at the Chepauk was his first step towards staking a claim to be that leading man. Published on Apr 12, 2026 #IPL #Sanju #Samson #stakes #claim #CSKs #leading #man #maiden #yellow #jersey](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/rfo0xt/article70853376.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/image%2013.jpg?ssl=1 "IPL 2026: Sanju Samson stakes claim to be CSK’s ‘leading man’ with maiden hundred in yellow jersey Viyarppu thunniyitta kuppayam. Athil nirangal mangukilla kattayam. [Dress spun from sweat; more vivid than any story ever told].The opening lyrics of the song ‘Kuthanthram’ from the 2024 Malayalam classic ‘Manjummel Boys’ left a lasting imprint on people’s minds due to its quirky metaphorical connotation.Indian batter Sanju Samson had referenced the phrase in a social media post after finding a spot back in the playing eleven after being dropped following a disappointing tour of Australia.A lot has transpired in Samson’s life since that game in December 2025. He was dropped from the team again. He was reintegrated again. And then he played three career-defining knocks, one after the other, to guide his nation to a third T20 World Cup triumph.On Saturday, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, another vivid story was written when a drenched-in-sweat Samson yielded his willow after Chennai Super Kings’ first innings against Delhi Capitals. An unbeaten 115 in front of 30,000 yellow-clad fans at his new amphitheatre was the first real indication of a metamorphosis foreseen by many since the 31-year-old traded his longstanding pink for yellow ahead of the new IPL season.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGy2jRz8Jc[/embed]Like most things in his more-than-a-decade-long career so far, this too did not come easy for him. Three consecutive no-shows with the bat, all while being the torchbearer for the side’s new injection of exuberance, almost extinguished the halo of nobility that appeared after his World Cup exploits.The first ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi set the tone for the day. You would imagine that a batter who was dismissed thrice in succession by the ball moving away — twice through an outside edge looking to push away from off-stump — would look to ensure there was no movement on offer before playing a similar shot. Not Samson. He prodded his front foot across, in a sign of immense self-confidence, to caress the ball through the covers and pick up three.While his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, struggled to combine both timing and the art of finding the gap together, Samson delivered a clinic in batting against pace in the PowerPlay, combining composure and direction to give his side a rapid start. Two gorgeous fours over extra-cover against Axar Patel followed, after which the Kerala batter slipped his vehicle into autopilot, the likes of which we saw at the victorious multi-nation tournament.A bothersome back, a dropped catch in the deep, and an unnerving prolonged stint in the 90s later, a fortuitous outside edge of the blade took him to three figures, one that the crowd welcomed with ear-splitting whistles and a standing ovation. The CSK fanbase has long venerated a wicketkeeper-batter to such a degree that he is now considered to be the son of the soil. The unyielding fandom has grown to such an extent that it forces him to return to play in front of the adoring crowd despite his growing years. It can’t go on forever, though. But now, there is a successor in place, and Saturday at the Chepauk was his first step towards staking a claim to be that leading man. Published on Apr 12, 2026 #IPL #Sanju #Samson #stakes #claim #CSKs #leading #man #maiden #yellow #jersey")
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