The record book will show Connor Zilisch as the winner of Friday night’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. But it was Parker Kligerman who carried the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to victory in a dramatic NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
Zilisch, still recovering from a broken collarbone suffered in a fall during Victory Lane celebrations at Watkins Glen two weeks ago, started the race but gave way to Kligerman under caution on Lap 13. From there, the part-time driver delivered a flawless performance, leading the car to the checkered flag after overtime extended the race to 104 laps. The victory also provided redemption for Kligerman, who lost a Daytona Truck Series win in February after a ride-height infraction wiped out his triumph.
Officially, the win is credited to Zilisch—his seventh of the season—tying Christopher Bell for most victories by a Sunoco rookie in Xfinity Series history. While Zilisch stood on the pit box, it was Kligerman who handled the celebratory burnout on Daytona’s frontstretch. “It’s different in every way, because I didn’t expect to get a call from Dale Jr. the day I was leaving for vacation,” Kligerman said. “I hate the circumstances for Connor, but I feel honored to have gotten the call. For me, it’s such a ‘me’ thing that this won’t even be in the record book.”
The closing laps provided plenty of drama. After the overtime restart on Lap 103, Zilisch’s car—driven by Kligerman—got a decisive push from teammate Justin Allgaier, who finished third, behind runner-up Sammy Smith. The race ended under caution following a massive 13-car crash in Turn 4, securing a JR Motorsports 1-2-3 finish. Zilisch, mindful of his injury, sprinted to congratulate Kligerman after the race. “It’s weird,” Zilisch admitted. “But I love Parker. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I’m OK watching him win inside my race car.”
Allgaier, with stage finishes of fifth and first, regained the series points lead by four over Zilisch heading into next week’s event at Portland International Raceway. Behind them, the playoff battle took a dramatic turn for cousins Harrison and Jeb Burton. Harrison recovered from an early spin to finish 16th, while Jeb’s day unraveled in multiple accidents, leaving him 20th. With two races left in the regular season, Harrison now holds a 36-point advantage for the final playoff spot.
Jesse Love finished fourth, with Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Dean Thompson, Garrett Smithley, Brennan Poole, and Carson Kvapil rounding out the top 10. Ryan Sieg led a race-high 19 laps but was caught in the Lap 97 crash, finishing 31st and falling 56 points below the playoff cutline. Post-race inspection confirmed the results without issue.
For Kligerman, the win won’t go down next to his name in the record books—but for those at Daytona on Friday night, the memory of his gritty drive won’t soon be forgotten.
Daytona International Speedway Xfinity Series Results
August 23, 2025
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
C. Zilisch #88
|
1
|
12
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
S. Smith #8
|
3
|
18
|
0.200
|
|
3 |
J. Allgaier #7
|
5
|
6
|
0.201
|
|
4 |
J. Love #2
|
10
|
14
|
0.577
|
|
5 |
S. Mayer #41
|
2
|
16
|
0.578
|
|
6 |
B. Jones #20
|
7
|
0
|
0.979
|
|
7 |
D. Thompson #26
|
11
|
0
|
2.234
|
|
8 |
G. Smithley #14
|
36
|
1
|
9.828
|
|
9 |
B. Poole #44
|
12
|
0
|
9.829
|
|
10 |
C. Kvapil #1
|
6
|
0
|
12.619
|
|
11 |
R. Ellis #71
|
31
|
0
|
12.620
|
|
12 |
W. Sawalich #18
|
24
|
0
|
17.107
|
|
13 |
P. Emerling #07
|
34
|
0
|
18.418
|
|
14 |
B. Perkins #31
|
23
|
0
|
18.419
|
|
15 |
M. Maggio #35
|
26
|
0
|
18.492
|
|
16 |
H. Burton #25
|
8
|
0
|
18.493
|
|
17 |
S. Creed #00
|
27
|
3
|
22.900
|
|
18 |
J. Bilicki #91
|
28
|
0
|
25.979
|
|
19 |
J. Haley #11
|
21
|
7
|
26.556
|
|
20 |
J. Burton #27
|
13
|
0
|
31.154
|
|
21 |
J. Gase #53
|
25
|
0
|
36.792
|
|
22 |
N. Decker #92
|
38
|
0
|
48.002
|
|
23 |
N. Sanchez #48
|
18
|
0
|
1:02.800
|
|
24 |
A. Almirola #19
|
29
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
25 |
A. Hill #21
|
4
|
8
|
1 Lap
|
|
26 |
L. Honeyman #70
|
35
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
27 |
K. Sieg #28
|
30
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
28 |
C. Bacarella #05
|
37
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
29 |
R. Caruth #32
|
15
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
30 |
T. Gray #54
|
14
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
31 |
R. Sieg #39
|
22
|
19
|
6 Laps
|
|
32 |
C. Eckes #16
|
9
|
0
|
7 Laps
|
|
33 |
M. DiBenedetto #99
|
33
|
0
|
8 Laps
|
|
34 |
J. Williams #45
|
20
|
0
|
8 Laps
|
|
35 |
D. Dye #10
|
17
|
0
|
8 Laps
|
|
36 |
J. Clements #51
|
16
|
0
|
15 Laps
|
|
37 |
A. Alfredo #42
|
32
|
0
|
37 Laps
|
|
38 |
P. Retzlaff #4
|
19
|
0
|
74 Laps
|
