Connor Zilisch compares crew chief Mardy Lindley to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch recently made a comparison between his regular crew chief, Mardy Lindley, and former Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who stepped in as his stand-in crew chief. In a post-race moment shared on social media, Zilisch talked about how Earnhardt's energy on the radio pushed him in ways he wasn’t used to.

The moment came from a Dirty Mo Media video posted on X. The caption read,

“If only Crew Chief Dale could be in your ear at work, too! 😂📻”

In the clip, Connor Zilisch recalls how Earnhardt’s voice and presence on the radio changed through the stages of the race. In Stage 1, Earnhardt was quieter, still settling into his role. By Stage 3, he was fully locked in—firing up Zilisch with strong, emotional calls over the radio.

“You were kicking me in the a** on the radio,” Zilisch said

He also explained how Earnhardt’s intensity made a real difference. He also pointed out that Mardy Lindley, who usually calls his races, is much quieter in comparison. He further added,

"You know Mardy doesn’t do that on the radio, he’s a more quiet guy but you were kicking me in the a** on the radio, you know I could feel the emotion through the radio, it was cool."

Mardy Lindley missed the race due to a one-race suspension after NASCAR penalized the No. 88 team for two loose lug nuts found at Nashville. This opened the door for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to step into the role as crew chief. He wasn’t alone on the pit box—former crew chief Steve Letarte, along with Mike Bumgarner and Patrick Martin, were also part of the support team.

Despite it being his first time in this role, Earnhardt was involved in strategy calls, pit stop coordination, and gave guidance to Zilisch mid-race. Earnhardt’s involvement wasn’t surface-level. He had multiple strategy meetings during the week with the full team, laying out a plan that clearly worked.

“I felt like I really did have a role today that was probably even more than I anticipated,” Earnhardt later said (via NASCAR.com)

And win he did. Connor Zilisch executed a perfect final restart, diving to the inside of Jesse Love, exiting Turn 3 with just four laps to go and holding on for the win. Notably, it marked his first career victory on an oval.

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“You know, he's a shy, sometimes awkward guy” – Connor Zilisch opens up about working with Dale Jr.

After winning the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, Connor Zilisch sat down for a post-race interview with In-Between Media, where he reflected on his growing relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The #88 driver was open about how working under Earnhardt has shaped his experience at JR Motorsports.

Connor Zilisch started the weekend strong, qualifying in the top-ten with a lap time of 54.63 seconds—just 0.42 seconds off Chase Elliott’s pole-winning run. But the bigger story came later, as Zilisch claimed his first oval-track victory in a 100-lap showdown at Pocono. When asked about Earnhardt, Zilisch said:

“Dale's an awesome guy. You know, he's a shy, sometimes awkward guy, but, you know, he's really cool, and he's got such a great heart.”

He spoke about Earnhardt’s surprising humility and accessibility, adding that despite his fame and legacy, Earnhardt always responds quickly when his drivers need help.

“I could go to him for anything,” Zilisch added. “When I text him, I’ve never had a text go through where he didn’t respond within 20 minutes.”

He credited not just Earnhardt but the entire JR Motorsports team for creating an environment where young drivers like him can grow and succeed. Connor Zilisch beat Jesse Love to the finish line by just 0.437 seconds, with Christian Eckes, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Sieg rounding out the top-five.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma