Is Connor Zilisch's dominance exposing a talent gap in the NASCAR’s feeder series?

Connor Zilisch's nine wins in 25 races during his rookie Xfinity season have positioned him as a standout talent. But does his four-race win streak and a 180-point lead in the regular season standings reflect a talent gap in NASCAR's feeder series?

Zilisch has also moved up the ladder swiftly and is set to debut in the Cup Series next season. Central to his achievements is his crew chief, Mardy Lindley, who is in his 14th season and third with JR Motorsports. The No. 88 team also benefits from the equipment and technical support of Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owned JR Motorsports.

Zilisch's rapid rise also highlights a historical performance inconsistency. His 10 career wins in just 29 starts place him among the fastest to reach this in the Xfinity Series behind Darrell Waltrip. The three-time Cup champion secured his 10th win in 24 starts during the 1980s.

After Sam Ard won four consecutive races in 1983, Noah Gragson was the first to match the back-to-back record after about four decades in 2022, before Zilisch tied the feat this season.

The 19-year-old is also just four wins shy of Busch's single-season record of 13 wins. The 102-time Xfinity Series winner earned this record while competing full-time in the Cup Series in 2010.

The competition in the Xfinity Series is simply not on Zilisch's level. NASCAR has also limited Cup drivers with over five years of full-time experience to a maximum of 10 Xfinity Series races per season, excluding the final eight races of the year.

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Can Connor Zilisch continue his dominance into the playoffs?

Connor Zilisch is confident in his team to continue the winning streak going into the playoffs, which start at 7:30 ET this Friday (September 12) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Zilisch's teammate Justin Allgaier is the only other Xfinity driver with a comfortable 30 points cushion over the cutoff line.

"This No. 88 team has been on a run this year, and four wins in a row is a rare feat, but we aren’t going to take any of that for granted going into the playoffs. Mardy, my whole team and my pit crew continue to execute every week, and we don’t plan on turning down the intensity anytime soon," Connor Zilisch said in a statement (via JR Motorsports).

Zilisch has also secured his Rookie of the Year award and beat Ty Gibbs to become the youngest driver with 10 career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins. The 2025 regular season champion is now running short of records to break and might set new ones during the 10-race playoffs.