Zilisch smashes monitor document twice to win COTA Truck pole on debut

The 17-year-old Trackhouse Racing growth driver placed on a formidable show in Friday’s Truck Collection qualifying session on the Circuit of the Americas.

Making the primary of what’s anticipated to be three sequence begins this 12 months with Spire Motorsports, Zilisch superior to the ultimate spherical of qualifying with a monitor document common lap velocity of 92.941 mph.

As one of many final vehicles to make a lap within the remaining spherical, he beat his personal monitor document with a median velocity of 93.012 mph to win the pole for Saturday’s race (He was 1.630 seconds sooner than Ross Chastain’s document lap of a 12 months in the past).

Zilisch turns into simply the sixth driver to begin on the pole in his first sequence race.

“That is actually a testomony to all of the folks round me,” mentioned Zilisch, an completed karting and highway racer who, most notably, was a part of Period Motorsport’s LMP2 class win on the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, making him the second-youngest driver, ever, to win the long-lasting race.

“This Spire Motorsports crew, (crew chief) Brian Pattie, everyone again on the store, only a killer, killer job. This factor is mainly driving itself.”

Zilisch is working a troublesome double obligation this weekend, making his Truck debut on Saturday afternoon and likewise competing in Saturday’s ARCA East season opener at Pensacola, Fla., an oval.

It’s on oval tracks that the multiple-time Trans-Am TA2 class race winner says he wants probably the most expertise for a profitable NASCAR profession.

“I actually take pleasure in new issues for the challenges, As enjoyable as these items is, I nonetheless must get approach higher at ovals,” he mentioned. “That’s in all probability my weak level proper now.”

Corey Heim will line up alongside Zilish on the entrance row, adopted by Taylor Grey, Nick Sanchez, Chastain, Jack Hawksworth, Tanner Grey, Layne Riggs, Christian Eckes and Ty Majeski.