Kyle Larson Falls Short as Connor Zilisch Returns to Victory Lane in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

KELSEY CHRISTMAN - STAFF WRITER

Connor Zilisch waves to the crowd at Rockingham Speedway (Fisher Giannotti, Motorsports Today, April 2025)

Bristol, TN - Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the Suburban Propane 300 on Saturday night for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at The Last Great Coliseum. William Sawalich scored the pole after coming off his first career win in the series the prior week. This race featured two NASCAR Cup Series drivers as Kyle Larson and Connor Zilisch jumped behind the wheel for JR Motorsports.

At just Lap Two, the first caution waved as Mason Maggio spun. Sawalich maintained his lead after starting on the pole for 28 laps prior to Kyle Larson taking the lead. Larson continued his show of speed to win Stage One.

Stage Two ran mostly uninterrupted with a singular caution on Lap 102 as Garrett Smithley and Logan Beardon spun. Kyle Larson’s speed continued to bring a Stage Two win to the team. During the stage break, Beardon reported feeling ill as the team swapped drivers for Brad Perez. This was Perez’s second time this season switching in as a driver mid race.

Mason Maggio’s misfortune this race continued from the Lap Two incident as the team experienced mechanical issues on Lap 195. The car quickly filled itself and the track with thick smoke. When Maggio reached the infield, he was quickly pulled out of the car as it caught fire.

A caution with 17 to go after Anthony Alfredo spun on the frontstretch presented an opportunity for many with the late restart. In the closing laps, Brent Crews, Connor Zilisch, and Kyle Larson battled hard for the lead. Zilisch scored his first career short track win as he held off both drivers, bringing Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 1 for JR Motorsports, his first win in the series.

Justin Algaier claimed the Dash 4 Cash prize of $100,000 as he finished ahead of William Sawalich, Brandon Jones, and Rajah Caruth. He is the winningest driver within Dash 4 Cash as tonight marked his eighth career win in the program. Algaier also holds a 130 point lead in the series as he holds three wins, eight top tens, and a singular DNF in the first nine races of the 2026 season.

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will head to Kansas Speedway for the Kansas Lottery 300. The race will be at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday, April 18th, and can be found on CW.