Connor Zilisch cites $12.17B giant in response to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s question

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn
Dale Earnhardt Jr. smiles for a photo with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch (88) on Saturday, July 26, 2025, after winning the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. - Source: Imagn

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacted to a selfie posted by Connor Zilisch on X. The photo was taken by Zilisch while watching Parker Kligerman drive his No. 88 Chevy during the Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, August 22.

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Kligerman swapped places with Connor Zilisch during the extended red flag for rain at Daytona. Due to the former’s collarbone injury, it seems that Zilisch opted for a time-out amid the 100-lap event.

Wishing Kligerman luck, Zilisch posted the selfie with the following caption:

“Certainly not the view I wanted tonight, but it’s the view I’ve got. Get em @pkligerman👊🏼👊🏼”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who owns JR Motorsports, the team Connor Zilisch drives for in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, apparently reacted to the picture, saying,

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“Why the heck is your camera backwards?”

Zilisch’s response to that question was simple and to the point. Citing Snapchat, a $12.7 billion American multimedia app (according to Forbes), the young speedster said,

“I’m 19 and use the snapchat camera instead of the normal camera app.”
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Connor Zilisch is in his inaugural season driving full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, 2025 is shaping up to be a stellar season for the driver, as he has six wins to his name already.

Zilisch was also the driver to get JR Motorsports its 100th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Currently, he is placed at the top of the leaderboard with 823 points to his name. 23 races into the season, the Charlotte native has amassed 12 top-fives and 14 top-10s.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Parker Kligerman swapping seats with Connor Zilisch

When Connor Zilisch fell headfirst onto the pavement while celebrating his latest win at Watkins Glen, several fans thought that he wouldn’t be able to continue racing for the remainder of the season. Thankfully, the human collarbone heals fast, so Zilisch’s hopes of contending for the championship are still alive.

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But Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to protect Zilisch and his career in the long run. So he allowed Parker Kligerman to drive Zilisch’s car at Daytona.

“Well, they’re about the same size,” said the NASCAR Hall of Famer. “Getting somebody in and out of the car and getting them comfortable is important. And Parker all but won the truck race here earlier this year. So, it’s just, we have a working relationship that you’re well aware of.”
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“We want to give Connor the opportunity to get in the car and start, and hoping he was going to be well enough to do that, but we were never (considering) him doing any more than that. So, we needed somebody, and Parker was excited,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Next up for Connor Zilisch is the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway. Scheduled for Saturday, August 30, the 75-lap event will be televised on CW (7:30 pm ET) with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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