Connor Zilisch Outduels William Sawalich on Late Restart for ARCA Win at IRP

Since making his debut in the ARCA Menards Series in the final races of last season, 17-year-old Connor Zilisch has been a major force to be reckoned with.

Friday at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Zilisch continued to assemble an impeccable racing resume, earning his third victory in the ARCA Menards Series, in his fourth career start.

As it has many times throughout the season, the battle for the victory came down to heavy hitters and ARCA Menards Series East title contenders Zilisch and William Sawalich, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Zilisch and Sawalich would combine to lead 161 of the race’s 205 laps, and as several late-race cautions and restarts came to fruition, it came down to a battle of execution between the two 17-year-old drivers.

With 26 laps to go, the second-to-last restart allowed the Pinnacle Racing Group driver to dive inside and take away the race lead. From that point forward, the Trackhouse development driver never looked back, even despite the race moving into Overtime.

ARCA Menards Series points leader Andres Perez was able to snatch the runner-up spot away from William Sawalich on the race’s final restart, coming home second place and extending his points lead.

Sawalich tagged along just behind in third, with Lavar Scott, the race’s early leader, finishing fourth. Scott led a career-high 44 laps in Friday’s race at IRP, driving for REV Racing.

Gio Ruggiero rounded out the top five for Venturini Motorsports. Kris Wright, Marco Andretti, Greg Van Alst, Dean Thompson, and Isaac Johnson rounded out the top-10.

Entering Friday’s event inside the top-five in point standings, Toni Breidinger was having a stellar run, consistently fighting for a position just outside the top five, until a pair of issues led to the end of her afternoon.

The first came when Jackson McLaren spun on the racetrack, forcing Breidinger to slam on the brakes and lock the tires up, lightly tapping the outside wall. Then, on the subsequent restart, contact from Lawless Alan sent her into the fence. Breidinger finished 24th, and the accident took Alan, Christian Rose, and McLarren out, as well.

Leaving IRP, Andres Perez holds a 46-point advantage over Greg Van Alst, with Lavar Scott just behind in third. In the ARCA Menards Series East, Zilisch continued to extend his lead over Sawalich, now at 23.

Race Results — Circle City 200: