Connor Zilisch doesn’t hold back on the Chicago incident with teammate SVG: "I thought he was gonna race me a bit cleaner"

A restart with only two laps to go set up Trackhouse Racing and JR Motorsports teammates, Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen, against each other. Zilisch, on the other hand, wished that Gisbergen had raced him differently. All of that happened during Saturday’s (July 5) Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Circuit.

Zilisch hit the wall right during practice, so his starting position wasn’t that great. However, he gained spots methodically ahead of that final restart. If only he had held his ground more and not let van Gisbergen take to his inside going into Turn 1.

After the race was over, Zilisch, who finished P2, said during his interview with CW:

“I guess I should have just not let him get to my bottom. I was clear there, just barely on the frontstretch, and just let him get to my inside and take advantage of it. Hate it for my 88 group.”

The 18-year-old racing phenom could have as well logged his third victory of the season. But he let Shane van Gisbergen use him up the corner. Eighteen races into the season, Connor Zilisch sits fifth in the driver standings with 571 points to his name. He has amassed seven top fives and nine top-10s so far.

“Should have just been more aggressive there; I just thought he was gonna race me a little cleaner. I'll learn from it, I'll move on,” he added.

Connor Zilisch will get his shot at redemption this coming weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Shane van Gisbergen is expected to compete in the race as well. Named Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250, the 79-lap event will be shown on CW, 4:30 p.m. ET onwards. Fans can listen to its exclusive radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“Should have left him a lane”- Connor Zilisch’s crew chief revealed what the No. 88 team could have done differently

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Course on July 05, 2025 - Source: Getty

Following his practice-day fiasco, Connor Zilisch could salvage only a P35 starting spot. Needless to say, the young gun had to work hard to make his way from deep in the field and get to the front.

Zilisch was leading the pack by Lap 38 after having cleared Sheldon Creed in Turn 5. But when the caution came out with five to go, his crew chief, Mardy Lindley, realized that it was going to be a battle between the teammates.

“I thought our teammate ran him pretty wide off the corner right there. I thought that was a difference in a race,” Lindley said in a statement (via NASCAR). “Me, personally, should have left him (Connor Zilisch) a lane, because we were clear here, and we just didn’t want to chop him and get in front of him, we chose not to do that.”

“Then he used us up down there. So whoever got the lead on the restart was going to win the race,” he added.

Shane van Gisbergen will now prepare for Sunday’s (July 6) race, the Cup Series Grant Park 165. He won the pole and will start the race in the front row alongside fellow Cup Series full-timer, Michael McDowell. Fans can watch the action unfold on TNT Sports, 2 p.m. ET onwards, or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.