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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Connor Zilisch was behind the wheel for 13 laps Friday night but won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race while sitting atop the pit box.
Zilisch, who suffered a broken collarbone in a fall from his car when standing on top of it celebrating in victory lane at Watkins Glen two weeks ago, got out of the car and relinquished the wheel to Parker Kligerman.
Kligerman ended up crossing the finish line first at Daytona International Speedway.
Connor Zilisch congratulates Parker Kligerman after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona. <!–>
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Because the 19-year-old Zilisch started the race, he received credit for the win even though Kligerman was driving at the time of the checkered flag.
“I knew it was right [to do], but no part of me wanted to do it,” Zilisch said about getting out of the car.
It was the first time in the series that a substitute driver won a race since June 2007. The last time it happened was when late-arriving Denny Hamlin, coming from the Cup race at Sonoma, got in a car started by Aric Almirola and won the race at Milwaukee.
The feeling after that race was very different, as Almirola had already left the track before the end of the race and took no part in celebrating him being credited with the win.
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This one had Kligerman and Zilisch joking, with Kligerman telling Zilisch he could keep the trophy.
“That’s all his,” Kligerman said, looking at Zilisch. “You can keep the trophy. I just want the checkered flag.”
Zilisch had surgery on Aug. 12 where he had a plate and more than 10 screws inserted in order to stabilize and help heal the collarbone. He was cleared to race but knew it would be risky with him not being fully healed and having the potential for a big impact at Daytona.
Connor Zilisch looks on from the pit box during the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. <!–>
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After the win, as Kligerman celebrated on the frontstretch, Zilisch sprinted to celebrate with him.
Zilisch had no worries about making the sprint.
“I can run,” Zilisch said. “I might have trouble climbing out of a car or something, but I have two legs, and I’m 19 years old.
“I was walking up stairs today, and someone’s like, ‘Oh, you need a hand.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m 19. I’ll be all right.’ … I get it. I’m probably like Bambi. I fall. It’s part of it.”
Zilisch is expected to compete full time in the Cup Series next year for Trackhouse Racing. He has been on loan to JR Motorsports this year to compete in the Xfinity Series as part of his development. He started the race because he is in a tight battle for the regular season title and the driver who starts the race is credited with the points.
For Zilisch, he was credited with his seventh win of the season.
“He never bucked at our insisting that he needed to get out of car as soon as possible,” JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “He never questioned that or wanted to offer up a differing opinion.
Connor Zilisch prepares to climb into his car prior to the race at Daytona. <!–>
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“He understands the path forward and how we need to prioritize his health over even this season. He’s got an incredible career in front of him that we need to make sure he’s ready for.”
And what about when he saw Zilisch go run out to see Kligerman?
“I saw Connor way out there. I was like, ‘Good lord, you can’t keep track of him. He’s just wide open,” Earnhardt said.
It’s the wide-openness that had Zilisch in some pain getting out of the car. Not physical pain.
“You get to this place and you drive through the tunnel and you look up [at the track] and you’re like, ‘Man, I really have to get out of this thing today?’” Zilisch said. “Certainly one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do in my life — behind the wheel, not behind the wheel.
Parker Kligerman, relief driver for Conner Zilisch celebrates winning the Xfinity Series at Daytona. <!–>
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“Every minute closer to the race, I was like, ‘Man, maybe I can’t just go out and finish this race.’ But I knew it was the right decision to let Parker get in and just give myself another week to recover.”
It was also the second time Zilisch has watched his car win. When he missed the Texas race after suffering a back injury at Talladega, substitute driver Kyle Larson won.
For Kligerman, it added another twist to his Daytona storyline this year.
A full-time analyst on Xfinity telecasts for The CW, Kligerman won the truck race in February at Daytona. That was until his truck failed postrace tech and he was disqualified.
So Kligerman celebrated crossing the finish line first again, and no Daytona record book will have him winning a race at that track in 2025.
“I’ve got two,” Kligerman said. “The first one still counts in my mind. … I’ve got two checkered flags now. That’s good for me.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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