Connor Zilish wins the Xfinity Series pole at Rockingham

ConnorZilisch won the Xfiinity Series pole Saturday at Rockingham Speedway with a lap time of 22.630 seconds.

Unfortunately for Zilisch, he had a flat tire after his qualifying run that will have to be replaced. Since NASCAR considers this an unapproved adjustment, he will have to start at the rear of the field.

“It went flat right off of [Turn] 4,” he said, “frustrating, you know, you qualify on the pole and to start at the back is a little frustrating. But the WeatherTech Chevrolet is as fast as Xfinity Mobile. It was really good in practice yesterday.”

“Hopefully, the track will widen out a little bit, and make my job a little bit easier,” Zilisch continued. “But it could be tough. This place is … nobody knows. Anything can happen.”

Parker Retzllaff qualified second fastest and will start on the front row after a lap time of 22.631, only 1/1000 second slower.

“Definitely the most painful qualifying of my life,” Retzlaff said. “I thought we had it. It’s just painful to qualify second at a place we’re coming back to for the first time in a while. But I feel good, and feel like we have something to look forward to here.”Nicholas Sanchez, Kasey Kahne, and William Sawalich were the top five drivers in Xfinity qualifying.

Brandon Jones, Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, Christian Eckes and Austin Hill completed the top-10. You can tune in to the Xfinity Series

You can tune into the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on the CW network with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Xfinity Series Starting Lineup

Are you a die-hard NASCAR fan? Follow every lap, every pit stop, every storyline? We're looking for fellow enthusiasts to share insights, race recaps, hot takes, or behind-the-scenes knowledge with our readers. Click Here to apply!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Angie Campbell
Angie Campbell
A native of Charlotte, NC, Angela (Angie) was first introduced to racing by her father. An avid fan of NASCAR, she found a way to combine her love of racing with her passion for writing. Angie is also an award-winning member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Follow her on Twitter @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

SM SPEEDWAY SHOTS

Latest articles

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: WWTR RACE PREVIEW

Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway will be John Hunter Nemechek’s third NASCAR Cup Series start at the track. He earned his highest finish of sixth in last year’s event at St. Louis.

Ryan Timms Wins Wild Interstate Batteries High Limit Race of Night 1 at Port...

With just 13 races left for the 2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series season, the tour made its way back to the East Coast following a grueling West Coast swing for the last week and a half.

NASCAR at World Wide Technology Raceway Weekend Schedule

The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) head to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) this weekend.

RCR Race Preview: World Wide Technology Raceway

This weekend marks the fifth time that the NASCAR Cup Series has competed at the 1.25-mile paved oval located just outside of St. Louis, Missouri in Madison, Illinois.

Best New Zealand Online Casinos