Connor Zilisch set the tone for his NASCAR weekend at Circuit of The Americas by capturing the pole position during Friday’s qualifying session for the Focused Health 250. Competing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Zilisch’s performance earned him the top starting spot ahead of Saturday’s race.
The NASCAR Cup Series rookie, driving for Trackhouse Racing, returned to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend with JR Motorsports. His fastest lap around the 2.4-mile, 17-turn National Course clocked in at 88.398 miles per hour, completing in 97.740 seconds. This speed edged out his teammate Shane van Gisbergen, who qualified second with a lap time of 97.949 seconds (88.209 mph).
JR Motorsports Drivers Dominate Qualifying Results
Zilisch’s pole position marks his first of the season and the tenth in his career, positioning him to lead the 38-car field when the 65-lap Focused Health 250 begins at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. JR Motorsports demonstrated strong qualifying form by placing three drivers in the top five and four within the top ten. Alongside Zilisch and van Gisbergen, Justin Allgaier qualified fifth after completing a lap at 87.661 mph (98.562 seconds), and Sammy Smith secured the tenth spot with a speed of 87.394 mph (98.863 seconds).
Breaking JR Motorsports’ string of top positions were Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing and Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing, who qualified third and fourth respectively. Hill, notable for winning the season’s opening race at Daytona from the pole, turned a lap at 87.841 mph (98.359 seconds), while Jones achieved a season-best qualifying time of 87.762 mph (98.448 seconds).
IMSA Qualifiers Also Set the Stage at COTA
Alongside the NASCAR events, the IMSA series featured competitive qualifying sessions. Wyatt Brichacek, driving the #30 Ligier JS P325M, secured pole position in the P3 class with a lap time of 1 minute, 28.856 seconds. Oscar Tunjo qualified second in the #1 Duqueine D08 at 1:29.433, followed closely by local driver Danny Soufi in the #11 Duqueine at 1:29.835. In the GSX category, Westin Workman posted the fastest lap among his peers with a time of 1:39.034, placing him tenth overall.
Upcoming Schedule and Broadcast Information at COTA
The weekend at Circuit of The Americas continues with the Focused Health 250 scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Prior to the race, the NASCAR Cup Series will hold practice sessions starting at 9 a.m., with qualifying set for 10:10 a.m. Additionally, the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will conclude the weekend with two 45-minute timed races at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Fans can follow all updates from NASCAR at COTA on social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram under @NASCARatCOTA, as well as through the NASCAR at COTA official website and mobile app.
