Despite the complications related to his cool suit, Connor Zilisch managed to find a happy ending in the NASCAR Cup Series race, the Toyota Save Mart 250 at Sonoma. With this, the Trackhouse Racing driver found new hope, as he registered his first top-10 of the season with a P7 finish.

"I was on the stall and I just couldn't reach down for the button with my glove on," Zilisch told the media post-race, as he lost his cool suit for the final 30 laps, forcing him to race in the intense cockpit heat.

"So, yeah, it was a hot last 30 laps, but nonetheless really proud of the entire Trackhouse team. It's been rough lately, so a day like this, although I feel like we could have been better than that, a day like this is one we'll take."

This was Zilisch's first-ever top 10 in 2026 after a struggling season where he's failed to live up to the hype with which he entered the Cup Series. However, one must applaud his achievement given he was under a health scare due to extreme heat and a non-functional cool suit at Sonoma.

"I felt like that last run we really struggled, but up until then I felt like we were, you know, in contention, at least close enough. So, yeah, I'll have to go back and study what happened on that last run.

"We tanked really hard and, yeah, it was a handful at the end, but still really proud of the entire team and the effort, and we'll go, hopefully, to the Ovals and start doing it again," the Trackhouse Racing driver further told TNT Sports after the race.

After an average qualifying, Zilisch started the race from 17th position, but fell back to 21st at the end of Stage 1. In Stage 2, Zilisch improved his position to eighth, but in the final stage, he further improved to finish in seventh place.

Thanks to a top 10 finish, Connor Zilisch decreased his gap to Ty Dillon in the Drivers' Standings. He now stands in 34th place with 198 points. Zilisch's Trackhouse teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, claimed the victory.

SVG reinstates road course domination, wins at Sonoma

On Sunday, Shane van Gisbergen continued his road course prowess as the Trackhouse Racing driver claimed his second win of the season at Sonoma. With this, SVG picked up eight wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, all of which came at road course races.

"What a day," said Van Gisbergen after the victory. "We were really bad yesterday, and these guys did an amazing job turning this car into a winner. The 19 [Briscoe] was coming. He was really, really good, and I ran out at the end," he added, as reported via Motorsports.com.

Having started from sixth place after a formidable qualifying, SVG finished Stage 1 in seventh place. He remained in the same position in Stage 2 before giving his all and finding the chequered flag at the end of the final stage by 0.357 seconds over Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason