MEXICO CITY — Through two stages, Connor Zilisch and Ty Gibbs made strong cases to contend for a cherished victory in Saturday’s return of the NASCAR Xfinity Series to Mexico. That strength fizzled when the final stage went green, opening the door for a spirited victory by the host country’s stock-car star.
Zilisch and Gibbs tangled one last time in the second half of Saturday’s The Chilango 150, spoiling their chances at an international win and providing an avenue for Daniel Suárez to score a popular triumph at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The two young drivers combined to lead 33 of the first 40 laps, but carnage at one of the hardest sections of the 2.42-mile circuit involved both front-runners, wrapping up a total of 13 cars in a full-fledged melee.
Zilisch, an Xfinity Series rookie for JR Motorsports, rallied from significant damage to place fifth, notching his third consecutive top-five result since returning from injury. Gibbs, a Cup Series regular, settled for 14th for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first Xfinity start of the year.
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The conflict came in Turn 1, a tight right-hander at the end of the long front straightaway on the 47th of 65 laps, just as Stage 3 set sail. Zilisch’s No. 88 Chevrolet entered the corner on the inside of a three-wide battle with Gibbs and Suárez, and the car bounded into the door of Gibbs’ No. 19 Toyota after ripping over the curbing. William Sawalich’s No. 18 Toyota and others clanged into Zilisch’s car as it traveled through the zig-zag second and third turn.
Gibbs seemed clear of the fray behind him as Suárez scooted away, but he collided with Carson Kvapil’s No. 1 Chevy. That contact clogged up the exit of Turn 3, where Parker Retzlaff and a host of other drivers piled in. That both drivers were able to continue to the checkered flag was a feat in itself, but the outcomes were far from the win that both hoped would materialize.
“I didn’t get a great push down the front straightaway, and Daniel and Ty were able to get alongside me,” said Zilisch, who led the field for the final stage’s start. “Yeah, I just got in a little hot and kind of was bottom three-wide and didn’t have a great angle. I think everyone was kind of pinching down on the inside, and yeah, just hit Ty and ended both of our races. So yeah, it’s frustrating. I mean, I wish that didn’t happen, and if I could have just gotten a better push down the front straight, I think we would have been OK. But yeah, it’s tough being bottom three-wide into that first turn. It’s so tight with such a big brake zone, and you go in a little too hot, it ruins a lot of things.”
Gibbs offered comment to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass as he left pit road, saying: “Well, I didn’t see much besides getting absolutely drilled in the door. I hit the 9 (Suárez). I don’t know how he kept going. I got hit so hard in the door that it knocked the wheel out of my hand, and I hit him and ramped him. So that was wild.”
He was also vocal as he radioed back to his No. 19 crew after the incident. “Did the 88 just bomb it in there or what?” Gibbs asked. When told that his assessment was at least partially correct, Gibbs added: “The guy did it two times before that, wrecked himself and about 25 other people.”
Gibbs led 18 laps — second only to Suárez’s 19 — and became the sixth driver to pilot the JGR No. 19 entry this year. The result was less than what crew chief Seth Chavka had hoped for.
“I actually haven’t watched the replay yet, so I can’t speak on that,” Chavka told NASCAR.com. “I mean, it looked like Zilisch got there a little too hot and kind of jacked everybody up. But I mean, like I said, until I see a replay, it’s kind of hard for me to say anything about it. We’re neck-and-neck with Zilisch. I think we were going to have something for him in Stage 3. I mean, it’s all about just managing the gap on the short run. I think we were definitely the best car in the long run. So I mean, I had high hopes that we’re gonna come out here; show up here with Ty Gibbs, we expect to win. So a little bummed we couldn’t get it done.”
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The multicar tangle was the final clash in a series of tense exchanges between the two drivers. On Lap 2, Gibbs shoved Zilisch wide through the Turns 1 through 3 area, costing him three spots, and the two also raced closely together into Turn 1 after leaving pit road alongside each other on Lap 38 before the stage break.
Zilisch said that the contact was less a byproduct of the tight section of corners, but more attributable to Gibbs.
“It’s just Ty,” Zilisch said. “I mean, he was racing me really hard the whole time, and I was easy to him on the first lap. I kind of let him have it in the first few corners and let him get the lead, and then I was a little bit faster than him. So yeah, when I cleared him down into (turn) one, I kind of went in a little bit deep and washed out. And, you know, I don’t think he liked how I did that, and just, yeah, got mad at me and shipped me. So yeah, I don’t think it was just the nature of the corners. I think that was pretty intentional.”