Connor Zilisch gets candid about his relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr. after his maiden win with him as crew chief

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch won the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 on June 21, 2025, with former Cup Series star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. as his crew chief. Following the same, Zilisch was featured in a post-race interview with In-Between Media and opened up about his relationship with his boss.

The #88 Chevy driver had a decent start at the 250-lap race at Pocono Raceway. He finished the qualifying session inside the top ten drivers with a best time of 54.63 seconds and a top speed of 164.74 mph. Zilisch was just 0.42 seconds off from taking the pole position from Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott.

However, Connor Zilisch made it up in the 100-lap event and took home his first victory on an oval track with the help of his rookie crew chief, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The former Cup Series driver took on the role after Zilisch's regular crew chief was suspended for one race.

During an interview, the young race car driver opened up about his relationship with his boss and stated:

"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, you know. You think a guy like him would be too cool for school sometimes or would maybe look at some people and think differently, but he is just the most normal down to earth guy you love to meet." [01:00 onwards] "I could go to him for anything, and when I text him, I've never had a text go through where he didn't respond within 20 minutes. So, having a guy like that, just so willing to help all his drivers...Everybody at Junior Motorsports is awesome."

Connor Zilisch crossed the finish line 0.437 seconds ahead of the Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love. Christian Eckes, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Sieg rounded up the top five.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed the reason behind being Connor Zilisch's crew chief despite a 'more qualified' staff at JR Motorsports

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. was featured in an interview with The Athletic, and during the interview, he revealed the reason behind taking up the role of Connor Zilisch's crew chief.

NASCAR found a loose lug nut during a post-race inspection at Nashville Superspeedway and suspended the #88 Chevy's regular crew chief, Mardy Lindley, for one race. Reflecting on the same, Lindley personally requested Dale Jr. to take up his role. The Kannapolis native further explained:

“There’s probably over 100 people at JR Motorsports that would have been more qualified, but Mardy asked me to do it. So I was like, ‘You must want me to do it.’ … We got a great team and a great organization that can handle these types of challenges. Should be no problem."

Connor Zilisch secured his spot among the top-five drivers on the Xfinity Series points table with his third career win at Pocono Raceway. He ranks fifth with 488 points, two wins, seven top-ten finishes, five top-five finishes, and four pole positions in 15 starts this season.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee