Connor Zilisch secured the pole position for the Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, on Friday, February 27.
The event’s qualifying format at COTA consisted of the field of 40 being divided into two qualifying groups (Group 1 & 2). During each group’s session, each competitor was given 20 minutes to post the fastest qualifying lap amongst one another. At the conclusion of both group sessions, the fastest competitor among the 2 groups was awarded the pole position.
During the qualifying session, Zilisch, who was the ninth-fastest competitor during Saturday’s practice session and competed in the first qualifying group, posted a pole-winning lap at 88.398 mph in 97.740. Zilisch’s lap was enough for the Charlotte, North Carolina, native to secure his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series pole position of the 2026 season.
With the pole, Zilisch claimed his 10th O’Reilly career pole, his seventh on road course events and his second in a row at Circuit of the Americas i(COTA) in the O’Reilly division. He also achieved a pole position at Circuit of the Americas between NASCAR’s top three national touring series for a third consecutive year, with Zilisch winning the Craftsman Truck Series pole in 2024.
Zilisch, who is competing as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor with Trackhouse Racing, is making his first of select O’Reilly starts this season at COTA in the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports. As the reigning O’Reilly winner at Circuit of the Americas, Zilisch will attempt to join AJ Allmendinger as the only competitors to win back-to-back O’Reilly events in Austin.
Zilisch will share the front row with Shane van Gisbergen, the latter of whom is making select starts in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports for a second consecutive season. Van Gisbergen qualified in second place with a lap at 88.209 mph in 97.949 seconds and will strive to achieve his first victory overall at Circuit of the Americas during Saturday’s main event.
Austin Hill, who was the fastest competitor from the second qualifying group, will line up in third place after he posted his fastest qualifying lap at 88.209 mph in 97.949 seconds. Hill is a two-time runner-up finisher at Circuit of the Americas and will attempt to win both at the track and on a road-course event for the first time on Saturday.
Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier will start fourth and fifth, respectively. Carson Kvapil, newcomer Brent Crews, Sam Mayer (fastest in practice), Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith completed the top-10 starting spots, respectively.
With 40 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, Josh Williams and Tyler Gonzalez were the two competitors who failed to qualify for Saturday’s main event.
COTA – Qualifying position: Best speed, Best time:
1. Connor Zilisch, 88.398 mph, 97.740 seconds
2. Shane van Gisbergen, 88.209 mph, 97.949 seconds
3. Austin Hill, 87.841 mph, 98.359 seconds
4. Brandon Jones, 87.762 mph, 98.448 seconds
5. Justin Allgaier, 87.661 mph, 98.562 seconds
6. Carson Kvapil, 87.652 mph, 98.572 seconds
7. Brent Crews, 87.565 mph,98.670 seconds
8. Sam Mayer, 87.523 mph, 98.717 seconds
9. Sheldon Creed, 87.462 mph, 98.786 seconds
10. Sammy Smith, 87.394 mph, 98.863 seconds
11. Jesse Love, 87.372 mph, 98.887 seconds
12. Corey Day, 87.361 mph, 98.900 seconds
13. Austin Green, 87.358 mph, 98.903 seconds
14. Taylor Gray, 87.254 mph, 99.021 seconds
15. William Sawalich, 86.928 mph, 99.393 seconds
16. Anthony Alfredo, 86.896 mph, 99.429 seconds
17. Preston Pardus, 86.849 mph, 99.483 seconds
18. Ryan Sieg, 86.798 mph, 99.542 seconds
19. Rajah Caruth, 86.796 mph, 99.544 seconds
20. Nick Sanchez, 86.794 mph, 99.546 seconds
21. Ross Chastain, 86.759 mph, 99.586 seconds
22. Sage Karam, 86.446 mph, 99.947 seconds
23. Harrison Burton, 86.379 mph, 100.024 seconds
24. Blaine Perkins, 86.279 mph, 100.140 seconds
25. Josh Bilicki, 86.275 mph, 100.145 seconds
26. Brennan Poole, 86.236 mph, 100.190 seconds
27. Dean Thompson, 86.192 mph, 100.241 seconds
28. Alex Labbe, 86.191, 100.243 seconds
29. Parker Retzlaff, 86.029 mph, 100.431 seconds
30. Jeremy Clements, 86.003 mph, 100.462 seconds
31. Lavar Scott, 85.984 mph, 100.484 seconds
32. Patrick Staropoli, 85.798 mph, 100.702 seconds
33. Ryan Ellis, Owner Points
34. Jeb Burton, Owner Points
35. Kyle Sieg, Owner Points
36. JJ Yeley, Owner Points
37. Baltazar Leguizamon, Owner Points
38. Austin J. Hill, Owner Points
The 2026 Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas is scheduled for Saturday, February 28, and air at 3 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
