“We know when to be nice”: Connor Zilisch gets candid about JRM’s playoff mindset as all Dale Jr.’s cars battle for a Championship 4 spot 

Connor Zilisch and his three other JR Motorsports teammates are all decked up for the first Round of 8 race. The 19-year-old recently addressed the internal team dynamics and balancing the competitiveness as they all fight for a Championship 4 spot in the next three races.

Driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR team, Zilisch has been the most dominant car on both road courses and traditional ovals. Heading into the first Round of 8 race, the No. 88 Chevy driver sits 57 points above the cutline, followed by his teammate Justin Allgaier with 24 points. Meanwhile, the other two JRM drivers, Sammy Smith and Carson Kvapil, are 7 and 11 points below the cutline, respectively.

Ahead of the Focused Health 302 event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Zilisch shared his candid thoughts about the team challenges during the playoff battle. In a media availability, Zilisch said (via Speedway Media):

“It’s tough to balance that but I feel like all four of us have a good understanding and get along. We know when to be nice and like at the ROVAL, we were trying to help the #1 (Carson Kvapil) and the #8 (Sammy Smith) do what they could to get in. There wasn’t much that I could really do to help them, but our goal was to get the two of them through and I’m glad that it worked out."

Moreover, Connor Zilisch also discussed his mentor, NASCAR legend Dale Jr.'s, simple instruction while they were the frontrunners on the field. He added:

"Dale tells us all the time when you have four fast cars at the front there’s going to be times that things happen, but we try to do our best to manage it. I’ve tried to become a lot better at treating those guys the right way and I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit better at that."

With 10 wins under his belt, Connor Zilisch is riding a strong momentum as he gears up for the Las Vegas race. Moreover, he hopes for a "stress reliever" with a win at the 'Sin City'.

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Connor Zilisch hoping for a "stress reliever" at the Las Vegas playoff race

Connor Zilisch - NASCAR Xfinity Series Blue Cross NC 250 - Source: Getty

Coming fresh from a Charlotte ROVAL win, Connor Zilisch recently shared his thoughts about having a redemption at the Las Vegas track on Saturday, October 11. Earlier this season, Zilisch managed a P9 finish.

In a media interaction ahead of the Nevada race weekend, Zilisch said:

"Las Vegas is one of the more important races that we will have this season and it’s a really good track for me. I loved racing there earlier this year. I’m excited that we get to go back there and I have an opportunity for redemption. We probably had a chance to win the race back in March, but I sped on pit road in the final stage, and we finished ninth. I know if we do our job this weekend, we’ll have a really good shot to win the race. To win there would be a big stress reliever because we would clinch a spot in the Championship 4."

Catch NASCAR live in action for the first Round of 8 weekend at Las Vegas on October 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Sashwat Deo