Zilisch was originally scheduled to race at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race last year, but sat out due to the late-race Talladega crash, which resulted in a back injury.
The 23-year-old Hocevar from Portage, Michigan, led 19 of 188 laps and fended off Chris Buescher amid a three-lap shootout to become the 208th winner in the Cup Series division at 'Dega.
In an overtime restart, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick made a last-lap pass to capture the eventual race win, his fifth victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
With a lap time of 29.142 seconds at 185.300 mph, Tyler Reddick and his No. 45 23XI Racing team won the pole position for Sunday's Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway,
Ty Gibbs withstood an overtime shootout against two NASCAR Cup Series champions, earning his first Cup career victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 12.
The 19-year-old Zilisch from Charlotte, North Carolina, led 24 of 300 laps and utilized a late move by remaining on the track with worn tires to prevail through two restarts and claim his first NASCAR victory both of the 2026 season and at Bristol.
The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, led a race-high 134 of 267-scheduled laps and prevailed in a 50-lap dash to the finish to achieve his first Cup victory of 2026 at Sin City.
