Bilicki, Zeigler Auto Group Race to Top-20 Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Bilicki, Zeigler Auto Group Race to Top-20 Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Josh Bilicki drove the Zeigler Auto Group No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro to a top twenty finish on Sunday, March 20th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing in the 16th position. Gerber Collision was also proudly displayed on the hood of Bilicki's No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro.

KALAMAZOO, MICH. (March 22, 2022) - Josh Bilicki of Spire Motorsports drove the Zeigler Auto Group No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro to a top twenty finish on Sunday, March 20th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing in the 16th position.  Gerber Collision was also proudly displayed on the hood of Bilicki's No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro.

The Atlanta race weekend started with a complete washout on Friday, as thunderstorms canceled all on-track activity for the day.  With the Atlanta race weekend being the first race at the venue after the tracks fresh repave and reprofile, NASCAR canceled Saturday's qualifying and replaced it with a 45-minute practice session instead.  Bilicki and his No. 77 team finished 24th in practice.

Due to qualifying being cancelled, Bilicki started the 500-mile race in 36th position out of a total of 37 cars.  At the green flag, he wasted no time getting up to speed and quickly moved up over ten positions within the first ten laps.  Bilicki knew he had a fast Zeigler Auto Group Camaro, but also knew it was a long 500 miles and chose to race smart rather than be aggressive during the opening stints of the race.  Bilicki finished the stage in the 26th position.

At the start of stage two, a strategy call from the No. 77 crew chief, Kevin Bellecourt, put Bilicki near the top-ten.  After running inside of the top fifteen for the opening laps of stage two, Bilicki narrowly missed a multi-car accident on the front straightaway.  Unlike many of their competitors, Bilicki and his Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro escaped with no damage, setting them to finish stage two in the 19th position.

Stage three began, and Bilicki found himself latched onto the main pack of cars and inside of the top-20.  As the third and final stage progressed, the racing got more aggressive and Bilicki once again found himself very near to an accident that happened in front of him, this time causing minor damage to the right rear of the No. 77 Camaro after he hit the wall slightly avoiding a spinning car.  The team bought Bilicki into the pits, assessed the damage and cleared Bilicki to finish the race.  After an exciting final ten laps, Bilicki brought the Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro home to a 16th place finish, up twenty spots from his starting position.

"Overall, it was a great weekend for our Zeigler Auto Group Spire Motorsports team," says Bilicki.  "My crew chief and my team gave me a great car, my pit-crew did an amazing job on pit road, and my spotter did a great job helping me navigate through traffic and avoiding multiple wrecks.  A P16 finish is a great step in the right direction, and I feel we are going to our next Zeigler sponsored race in Texas with a lot of momentum."

Zeigler Auto Group's next primary sponsored NASCAR race will be this weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.  The race will be broadcasted live on Sunday, March 27th on FOX at 3:30PM ET.

About Zeigler Automotive Group:
Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 78 franchises across 35 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all of the domestic and the majority of the imported manufacturers.

Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company.

The Kalamazoo, Mich.,-based dealer group also owns and operates Zeigler Pre-Owned of Chicago, a Carquest Auto Parts store, three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.
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Founded in 1975, the organization employs over 2,300 people, ranking among the top 1% of automotive dealers in the nation with estimated annual sales of $2.2 billion for 2022. The family-owned and operated company is well known for its commitment to both customer service and employee satisfaction. Zeigler is regularly recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation, also earning similar accolades in Chicago and Michigan