Connor Zilisch wins NASCAR O'Reilly race at Watkins Glen in May 2026

The NASCAR O'Reilly Series competed at Watkins Glen International and it was a thrilling event. Brent Crews won Stage 1 while Connor Zilisch won Stage 2; however, only one of the two young NASCAR stars could win the event. At the end of the day, the JR Motorsports driver pulled off a stunning victory on the final lap.

Zilisch and the No. 1 team for JR Motorsports won the Mission 200 At The Glen at Watkins Glen, earning their first second victory of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season. The driver of the No. 1 car passed Jesse Love for the win after the No. 2 car overdrove the final corner. It was a stunning defeat for Love, who almost had his first road course win.

The win came a little bit harder than expected, as Zilisch nearly threw away the win after hitting the grass. It damaged the No. 1 car, causing him to slow down before it cleared itself. Now, Zilisch is back in victory lane, and hopes to carry this over to the NASCAR Cup Series over the next few months.

NASCAR results: O'Reilly Series race at Texas Motor Speedway (May 2026)

1. No. 1 Connor Zilisch
2. No. 2 Jesse Love
3. No. 54 Taylor Gray
4. No. 32 Ross Chastain
5. No. 20 Brandon Jones
6. No. 19 Brent Crews
7. No. 99 Parker Retzlaff
8. No. 9 Shane Van Gisbergen
9. No. 87 Austin Green
10. No. 7 Justin Allgaier
11. No. 21 Austin Hill
12. No. 88 Rajah Caruth
13. No. 41 Sam Mayer
14. No. 91 Carson Kvapil
15. No. 17 Corey Day
16. No. 8 Sammy Smith
17. No. 24 Harrison Burton
18. No. 44 Brennan Poole
19. No. 0 Alex Labbe
20. No. 42 Will Rodgers
21. No. 50 Preston Pardus
22. No. 07 Josh Bilicki
23. No. 39 Ryan Sieg
24. No. 96 Anthony Alfredo
25. No. 27 Jeb Burton
26. No. 31 Blaine Perkins
27. No. 45 Lavar Scott
28. No. 92 Alex Guenette
29. No. 00 Sheldon Creed
30. No. 55 Glen Reen
31. No. 28 Kyle Sieg
32. No. 53 Derek White
33. No. 51 Jeremy Clements
34. No. 02 Ryan Ellis
35. No. 26 Dean Thompson
36. No. 18 William Sawalich