NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen International — August 9, 2025

Connor Zilisch

Winner

Laps

Entries

Leaders

Connor Zilisch won the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 9, 2025, leading 60 of 82 laps. Sam Mayer finished second; Sammy Smith rounded out the podium. The race featured 9 different leaders.

Race Details

Date

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Track

Watkins Glen International

Season

2025

Winner

Connor Zilisch

Leaders

9 drivers

Sort by

Pos	Start	+/-	Driver	Laps	Interval	Status	Led	Pts
1	1	—	Connor Zilisch	82	—	Running	60	51
2	4	+2	Sam Mayer	82	—	Running	—	43
3	6	+3	Sammy Smith	82	—	Running	1	36
4	10	+6	Austin Hill	82	—	Running	3	40
5	14	+9	Carson Kvapil	82	—	Running	—	38
6	9	+3	Justin Allgaier	82	—	Running	3	44
7	18	+11	Austin Green	82	—	Running	—	31
8	38	+30	Christian Eckes	82	—	Running	—	29
9	13	+4	Brandon Jones	82	—	Running	—	28
10	17	+7	Harrison Burton	82	—	Running	—	32
11	8	-3	Kaz Grala	82	—	Running	—	0
12	31	+19	Brennan Poole	82	—	Running	—	25
13	19	+6	Dean Thompson	82	—	Running	—	28
14	15	+1	Jesse Love	82	—	Running	1	29
15	30	+15	Jeremy Clements	82	—	Running	—	22
16	23	+7	Jeb Burton	82	—	Running	—	21
17	21	+4	Daniel Dye	82	—	Running	—	20
18	3	-15	Taylor Gray	82	—	Running	—	28
19	26	+7	Stefan Parsons	82	—	Running	—	0
20	36	+16	Austin J Hill	82	—	Running	—	17
21	35	+14	Glen Reen	82	—	Running	—	16
22	22	—	Parker Retzlaff	82	—	Running	1	18
23	32	+9	Blaine Perkins	80	—	Running	—	14
24	7	-17	Nick Sanchez	75	—	Running	—	20
25	12	-13	Michael McDowell	73	—	Running	1	0
26	5	-21	William Sawalich	73	—	Running	1	11
27	27	—	Josh Bilicki	73	—	Running	—	10
28	29	+1	Ryan Sieg	73	—	Running	—	11
29	33	+4	Ryan Ellis	73	—	Running	—	8
30	28	-2	Kyle Sieg	73	—	Running	—	7
31	2	-29	Shane van Gisbergen	64	—	DNF	11	0
32	20	-12	Anthony Alfredo	63	—	DNF	—	5
33	24	-9	Matt DiBenedetto	52	—	DNF	—	5
34	34	—	Preston Pardus	52	—	DNF	—	3
35	11	-24	Sheldon Creed	50	—	DNF	—	14
36	16	-20	Riley Herbst	39	—	DNF	—	0
37	25	-12	Thomas Annunziata	24	—	DNF	—	1
38	37	-1	Garrett Smithley	3	—	DNF	—	1

Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 11 matched drivers, the model averaged 11.1 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average

Pos	Driver	Predicted	Actual	Delta	Conf.
1	Connor Zilisch	21.4	1	+20.4	High Confidence
4	Austin Hill	21.4	4	+17.4	Moderate
6	Justin Allgaier	16.8	6	+10.8	Moderate
12	Brennan Poole	21.4	12	+9.4	Moderate
14	Jesse Love	21.4	14	+7.4	Moderate
17	Daniel Dye	20.8	17	+3.8	Coinflip
25	Michael McDowell	13.0	25	-12.0	Moderate
27	Josh Bilicki	29.0	27	+2.0	High Confidence
31	Shane van Gisbergen	12.7	31	-18.3	Moderate
32	Anthony Alfredo	21.4	32	-10.6	High Confidence
36	Riley Herbst	25.7	36	-10.3	High Confidence

Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.

Historical Context

Connor Zilisch: has 6 career starts at Watkins Glen International with a 5.5 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
Shane van Gisbergen: was the model’s top pick based on 7 career starts at Watkins Glen International with a 7.3 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P31 on the day.

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Track

Watkins Glen International

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen?

Connor Zilisch won the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Where was the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen held?

The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen was held at Watkins Glen International on August 9, 2025.