Zilisch not getting caught up in what could have been in first All-Star Race

Connor Zilisch had a reason to be disappointed with the result Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway, but the positives outweighed the negatives.

Zilisch finished fifth in his first All-Star Race after advancing into the main event. But it will remain unknown whether he would have contended for the race win had his Trackhouse Racing team not been called for an equipment interference penalty during the lap 75 competition caution.

The penalty took Zilisch from second, where he had exited pit road, to the rear of the field. He spent the rest of the afternoon clawing his way back.

“It would have taken a lot to beat [Denny Hamlin] and [Chase Briscoe], they were both really good,” Zilisch said. “But regardless, it was a really good day for Trackhouse, this [No.] 88 team. We needed a day like this, where we had contending speed. It’s been a long year, and moments of hope like this certainly feel good.”

The weekend started with Zilisch spinning coming to the entrance of pit road on his qualifying attempt. It put Zilisch in the 27th position for the start of Sunday’s event.

NASCAR used a format in which the driver with the highest average finish across both segments advanced to the main event. Zilisch ended the first 75-lap segment in the 11th position. He finished the second segment in the fifth position.

It was good enough for Zilisch to be at the top of the eight drivers who advanced.

“It was big,” said Zilisch of rebounding from qualifying. “I knew it was a long race. I knew we had to get inside the top 26 there and try to give ourselves a chance in the invert, and we were able to drive up to 11th in that first stage and continue to move forward in stage 2, and that’s when I really started to realize we had a shot.

“So, it was cool to be on offense and have good restarts and not feel like a fish out of water.”

Zilisch pointed to grip and potential in the race car for his strong day. Although there was still some balance issues the team fought, the overall potential went a long way. It’s something that the organization has been working hard to find, so that even on bad days there is a chance to for a decent result.

“I feel like we had that today,” he said. “We had potential and, honestly, room to grow. So, I’m really proud of everybody.”

The finish will not be reflected in Zilisch’s season-long results, since it is not a points race. However, it will “100%” go a long way for him and his race team. Unofficially, it is a career-best finish for Zilisch and his first top-five and top 10 results in the series.

“It would have definitely hurt if it were another day where we had speed and didn’t get a result,” Zilisch said. “So, although it’s not a points race, I think everybody shows up to these races trying to win and be competitive, and run inside the top five. To get as high as running with the Gibbs cars and running second there, that’s the stuff we need, that’s what we have to gauge ourselves off of.

“Texas went good for us. Obviously, last weekend we were dominant as a team with Shane [van Gisbergen] and me, and we come back here and have another good run. That makes three weeks in a row where I feel like we’re going in the right direction.”

Overall, it was a positive first All-Star Race experience for the rookie.

“It was fun,” Zilisch said. “That race - it was long. It was very long. I don’t know if the All-Star Race needs to be that long, but I enjoyed being a part of it and hopefully get to do it again next year.”