Lest anyone doubt the all-around natural racing talent of 18-year-old Connor Zilisch, the rookie claimed a series best fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on the season in Saturday’s rain-shortened BetRivers 200 at the one-mile Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

Zilisch led 77 of the race’s 134 laps in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet before NASCAR was forced to call the scheduled 200-lap race early because of rain. A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, driven by former NASCAR Cup Series veteran Aric Almirola and Xfinity regular Brandon Jones rounded out the top three.

Although he qualified third – three rookies topped the starting grid – Zilisch ran first or second for most of the race, ultimately taking the lead for good on the restart following the Stage 2 break.

“We’ve been showing it lately,’’ a smiling Zilisch said when he was informed on pit road the race was official and he was the winner. “First of all I hate that we couldn’t finish the race the right way. Aric [Almirola] was really fast and was going to give me a run for my money. Props to him for making me work for it.

“Still really proud of this Junior Motorsports team. … We capitalized on all fronts, had good pit stops both stages and put ourselves in a position to be in the right spot when the rain fell. Very thankful.”

Zilisch’s win total is best in the series. And the North Carolina teenager has been so good this summer that that he’s now on an eight-race top-five streak that includes three wins and three runner-up finishes for an average finish of 2.25. He’s led laps in 15 of the 20 races.

Even before making his fulltime NASCAR debut this season, Zilisch was a multi-race winner in the sports car ranks with huge victories in the biggest races on the schedule – last year’s Daytona 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour endurance classics.

Not too surprisingly, he immediately proved himself a road-course ace when given the NASCAR Xfinity Series opportunity, even winning from pole position in his first series start at historic Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last summer.

He answered that resoundingly this year as a full-time competitor, hoisting trophies at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma, Calif. road courses, but also proving his oval-metal winning at the 2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last month and now adding the one-miler to an increasingly broad resume.

Zilisch’s effort at Dover’s Monster Mile moves him into second place in the championship standings – 56 points behind points leader – and his JR Motorsports teammate, and the reigning series champ – Justin Allgaier, who finished fourth Saturday.

Zilisch’s best friend, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love was fifth at Dover, followed by Ryan Sieg, polesitter Taylor Gray, Sheldon Creed and rookies William Sawalich and Christian Eckes rounding out the top 10.

“It’s been awesome and I feel like even when we miss a little bit we’re still a top-five car and being able to go the race track and know that in the back of your head has definitely been comforting and confidence inspiring every weekend,’’ Zilisch said. “Gotta keep knocking the door down with wins.”

Jeb Burton, who finished 20th, now holds a seven-point advantage on his cousin Harrison Burton for the 12th and final Playoff-eligible position in points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR Cup Series regular Riley Herbst is the defending race winner.

Three-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano will be making his 600th series start this weekend at Dover – a significant statistic considering he’s only 35-years-old.

The youngest in NASCAR history to achieve that mark, Logano smiles recalling that his second ever NASCAR Cup Series start at Dover – 16 years ago as a 19-year-old and how it ended with a dramatic fashion – his car flipping. But for the popular Team Penske driver, the part of the statistic that “hits home” is that he’s been able to have such a successful career, noting he essentially grew up in front of everyone and all the challenges that entailed.

The three championship trophies in NASCAR’s premier series would indicate it’s all worked out well for the Connecticut-native, who in 2009 became the youngest NASCAR Cup Series race winner driver in history, hoisting the lobster at just 19-years-old.

“At first glance, I said, well, it’s just ‘starts,’ “Logano said of reaching the big milestone number this week. “But then when you start thinking about it, to be able to be around in a sport as an athlete competing at a top level for 16-plus years, and hitting 600 starts, it’s pretty incredible to have a career that long. It’s something that I take some pride in. I’m proud of that, to be able to hit this marker.

“It’s a lot of starts. I remember my 300th start and I think it was Kenseth at the time, maybe it was Truex as well, that weren’t too far from 600 and I thought, ‘Geez, that’s double the amount of races as me. That’s crazy.’ But here I am, so it went by pretty quick. It’s been a heck of a ride. This sport has been awesome to me and my family and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

DOVER, Del. – Despite an attempt to clean the track, rain washed out both practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway. 

The starting grid was determined by NASCAR’s metric formula with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott nabbing the pole. Teammate William Byron was handed the fifth starting spot with Alex Bowman set to roll off 16th and Kyle Larson 25th. 

Hendrick Motorsports has had success at the “Monster Mile,” scoring 22 victories in 78 races. Notable winners from the team include Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman. Last year, the organization landed three cars in the top ten, totaling 127 top 10s in organization history, the most of any current Cup Series team. 

Here is a look at the starting lineup:

RELATED: Dover Driver Averages

1. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19
3. Christopher Bell, No. 20
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45
5. William Byron, No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet
6. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88
7. Micheal Mcdowell, No. 71
8. Joey Logano, No. 22
9. Ty Gibbs, No. 54
10. Kyle Busch, No. 8
11. Ryan Preece, No. 60
12. Chris Buescher, No. 18
13. Denny Hamlin, No. 11
14. Josh Berry, No. 21
15. Brad Keselowski, No. 6
16. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet
17. A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16
18. Daniel Saurez, No. 99
19. Ross Chastain, No. 1
20. Justin Haley, No. 7
21. Ty Dillon, No. 10
22. Bubba Wallace, No. 23
23. Ausitn Dillon, No. 3
24. Todd Gilliand, No. 34
25. Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 
26. Austin Cindric, No. 2 
27. Erik Jones, No. 43
28. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
29. Cole Custer, No. 41
30. Zane Smith, No. 38
31. Ryan Blaney, No. 12
32. Riley Herbst, No. 35
33. Carson Hocevar, No. 77
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
35. Cody Ware, No. 51
36. Zoah Gragson, No. 4
37. J.J. Yeley, No. 44

(All times listed in eastern time)

Saturday, July 19

Sunday, July 20

• 2 p.m. – Cup Series race, TNT

RELATED: Check out the paint schemes for Dover

NASCAR points standings

Dover Motor Speedway lost one of its two NASCAR Cup Series races dates after the 2020 season, and this year, the track’s annual spring race was moved to mid-summer.

Sunday afternoon’s 400-lap Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 around the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) “Monster Mile” oval in Dover, Delaware is the 21st race on the schedule, and it is the fourth of five races in the sport’s first-ever in-season tournament.

For the purposes of qualifying, Dover is considered a short track at one mile in length, so the short track qualifying format is set to be used on Saturday.

The qualifying order was determined by the two-variable metric, which replaced the four-variable metric that was used from 2020 to 2024.

A full breakdown of the new metric, which has never before been used at Dover, can be found here.

The difference between short track qualifying and non-short track qualifying is the fact that each driver is set to get two qualifying laps rather than one. The faster of each driver’s two laps is what counts toward determining the starting lineup.

All 37 drivers’ speeds are stacked up to set the order, as there is just one round of qualifying, and while there are still technically qualifying groups, there are no more row-by-row lane designations based on groups like there have been in previous years.

Follow along with our live qualifying updates from Dover.

Update: Qualifying has been canceled and the full starting lineup has been set by reverse metric order.

NASCAR at Dover: Full starting lineup

1st – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2nd – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

3rd – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

4th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

5th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6th – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

7th – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

8th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

9th – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

10th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

11th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

12th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

13th – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

14th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

15th – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

16th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

17th – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

18th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

19th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

20th – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

21st – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

22nd – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

23rd – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

24th – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

25th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

26th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

27th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

28th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

29th – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

30th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

31st – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

32nd – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

33rd – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

34th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

35th – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

36th – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

37th – J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet

DOVER, Del. (AP) — NASCAR race team owner Denny Hamlin remained undeterred in the wake of another setback in court, vowing “all will be exposed” in the scheduled December trial as part of 23XI Racing’s federal antitrust suit against the auto racing series.

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with charters while they battle NASCAR in court, meaning their six cars will race as open entries this weekend at Dover, next week at Indianapolis and perhaps longer than that in a move the teams say would put them at risk of going out of business.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell denied the teams’ bid for a temporary restraining order, saying they will make races over the next couple of weeks and they won’t lose their drivers or sponsors before his decision on a preliminary injunction.

Bell left open the possibility of reconsidering his decision if things change over the next two weeks.

After this weekend, the cars affected may need to qualify on speed if 41 entries are listed — a possibility now that starting spots have opened.

The case has a Dec. 1 trial date, but the two teams are fighting to be recognized as chartered for the current season, which has 16 races left. A charter guarantees one of the 40 spots in the field each week, but also a base amount of money paid out each week.

“If you want answers, you want to understand why all this is happening, come Dec. 1, you’ll get the answers that you’re looking for,” Hamlin said Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway. “All will be exposed.”

23XI, which is co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, and FRM filed their federal suit against NASCAR last year after they were the only two organizations out of 15 to reject NASCAR’s extension offer on charters.

Jordan and FRM owner Bob Jenkins won an injunction to recognize 23XI and FRM as chartered for the season, but the ruling was overturned on appeal earlier this month, sending the case back to Bell.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, co-owns 23XI with Jordan and said they were prepared to send Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst to the track each week as open teams. They sought the restraining order Monday, claiming that through discovery they learned NASCAR planned to immediately begin the process of selling the six charters which would put “plaintiffs in irreparable jeopardy of never getting their charters back and going out of business.”

Hamlin said none of the setbacks have made him second-guess the decision to file the lawsuit.

“Dec. 1 is all that matters. Mark your calendar,” Hamlin said. “I’d love to be doing other things. I’ve got a lot going on. When I get in the car (today), nothing else is going to matter other than that. I always give my team 100%. I always prepare whether I have side jobs, side hustles, more kids, that all matters, but I always give my team all the time that they need to make sure that when I step in, I’m 100% committed.”

Reddick, who has a clause that allows him to become a free agent if the team loses its charter, declined comment Saturday on all questions connected to his future and the lawsuit. Hamlin also declined to comment on Reddick’s future with 23XI Racing.

Reddick, one of four drivers left in NASCAR’s $1 million In-season Challenge, was last year’s regular-season champion and raced for the Cup Series championship in the season finale. But none of the six drivers affected by the court ruling are locked into this year’s playoffs.

Making the field won’t be an issue this weekend at Dover as fewer than the maximum 40 cars are entered. But should 41 cars show up anywhere this season, someone slow will be sent home and that means lost revenue and a lost chance to win points in the standings.

“Nothing changes from my end, obviously, and nothing changes from inside the shop,” Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith said. “There’s not typically even enough cars to worry about transferring in.”

Smith, 24th in the standings and someone who would likely need a win to qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs, said he stood behind Jenkins in his acrimonious legal fight that has loomed over the stock car series for months.

“I leave all that up to them,” Smith said, “but my job is to go get the 38 the best finish I can.”

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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this story.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Chris Knight

Chris Knight has served as a senior staff writer and news editor for CATCHFENCE.com since 2001.
In his 20-plus years with CATCHFENCE.com, he has covered NASCAR’s top three national series, often breaking news and providing exclusive at-track content, including in-depth race weekend coverage. He also offers insider coverage of the entire Motorsports platform, including the ARCA Menards Series.
In 2022, Knight became co-owner of CATCHFENCE.com.
In addition to his active duties at CATCHFENCE.com and other Motorsports-related endeavors, he is also a frequent contributor to SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Knighter01 or on Instagram, Snapchat, or Threads at @TheKnighter01. He can be reached by email at [email protected].