The 18-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina, won the Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, Aug. 16, thanks to a vital restart late in the ARCA Menards Series race.
For Zilisch, it was a memorable victory. The Pinnacle Racing Group driver has won all four national ARCA races this season. It was also his first race on a track greater than one mile, as drivers under the age of 18 are not permitted to race on courses longer than 1.5 miles. Zilisch turned eighteen on July 22.
He confessed it takes some time to adjust to the magnitude and speed of MIS.
“It was my first time on a track this big,” Zilisch stated after the race. “I didn’t know where (the car) was going to trend, so it took a little bit of time to get up to speed … at the end, I felt pretty confident in what I had.”
Zilisch had to avert disaster before the midway point. After a scheduled yellow on Lap 35, Zilisch faced NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Grey on the front row for the restart. Zilisch slid out of the groove and stumbled back after the green flag was dropped. He would work his way back to second, erasing a two-plus-second deficit behind Grey before the final managed caution with 30 laps remaining.
With 23 laps remaining, the race resumed, and Zilisch capitalised on Gray’s decision to restart in the outside lane. When the green flag dropped, Zilisch’s No. 28 car took the lead, while Grey was stuck in a four-wide struggle for second.
Gray’s decision to use the outer lane startled Zilisch.
“The bottom was dominant, allowing for wide-open runs through Turns 1 and 2.” So, take the shortest distance.”
Despite having the lead, the Trackhouse Racing driver’s route to victory was not clear, as ARCA points leader Andres Perez remained within striking distance until the last lap.
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