It didn’t take very long for Connor Zilisch to acclimate to Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 18-year-old driver scored the pole for Thursday’s ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in his first-ever trip to the half-mile oval in Bristol, Tennessee.
Piloting the No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports, Zilisch laid a stellar lap down in Thursday’s single-vehicle qualifying session, clocking in at 15.325 seconds (125.207mph).
A native of Mooresville, North Carolina, Zilisch had an advantage of more than a tenth of a second over second-place qualifier Corey Heim, who will start alongside the young phenom in Thursday’s 200-lap contest.
Rajah Caruth matched the lap time of Corey Heim in qualifying on Thursday, but due to being lower in owner points, will slot in third for the start of the UNOH 200. William Sawalich and Stewart Friesen completed the top five.
Nick Sanchez, Daniel Dye, Christian Eckes, Chase Purdy, and Tanner Gray completed the top-10 in Thursday’s session.
RESULTS: NASCAR Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol
Other drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series post-season that failed to qualify inside the top-10 include Tyler Ankrum (14th), Grant Enfinger (15th), Taylor Gray (16th), Ty Majeski (19th), and Ben Rhodes (25th).
With 38 trucks entered in Thursday’s 200-lap contest from Bristol, two drivers failed to make the show. Marco Andretti (#04 Roper Racing) and Justin Carroll (#90 Terry Carroll Motorsports) failed to make the show for Thursday’s event.
The UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway will begin on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET.
