Connor Zilisch will have some work to do on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, Zilisch and the No. 88 team for Trackhouse Racing qualified in 17th place for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway. This comes after hte Trackhouse Racing driver struggled in the final corners of his last two laps.
Zilisch has enough speed to win the Cup Series race at Sonoma, but he must pass 16 drivers to make it happen. While the driver of the No. 88 car has significantly struggled to finish races in 2026, it could be an advantage over his teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, on Sunday afternoon.
Zilicsch isn’t fighting for a Chase spot, so he can afford to take some risks. Instead of fighting on the Chase bubble like van Gisbergen, Zillisch can flip stages to gain track position. At the end of the day, it might be what he needs to compete for his first career Cup Series victory.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Connor Zilisch shockingly qualifies 17th at Sonoma in 2026
