Connor Zilisch reacts to his NASCAR team boss Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s return to Xfinity albeit in a different role: “Pressure is on” 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a NASCAR team owner, a Late Model series owner, a race car driver, a podcast host, and a two-time New York Times bestselling author. But for this coming weekend’s Xfinity race at Pocono Raceway, the Hall of Famer will be seen in a new role.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Xfinity Series winner himself, will serve as the crew chief for Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, which Earnhardt owns. The team’s original crew chief, Mardy Lindley, will stay out serving his one-race suspension for a pair of loose lug nuts in Zilisch’s car during the May 31 race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Reporting Dale Jr.’s upcoming duty atop the No. 88 pit box, JR Motorsports wrote the following on X (formerly Twitter):

“This weekend, @DaleJr will be filling in for Mardy Lindley as crew chief of the No. 88 as Lindley serves his one race suspension for loose lugnuts following the NXS race in Nashville two weeks ago.

Zilisch shared the post with the following comment,

“Pressure is on😵‍💫New face on the pit box this weekend.”

Connor Zilisch

@ConnorZilisch

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Pressure is on😵‍💫New face on the pit box this weekend

Connor Zilisch is ahead of his 15th race of the 2025 season, also his first-ever start at Pocono. Named Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, the 100-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, June 21. Fans can watch the race on CW, 3:30 pm ET onwards, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns 35 starts at the “Tricky Triangle,” in which he amassed two wins, 11 top-fives, and 15 top-10 finishes.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his views on undervalued qualifiers for NASCAR’s championship race

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently commented on how the drivers who qualify for the final Championship 4 race do not feel valued enough. As the current format goes, the winning driver takes all, including the championship title, but the rest four get nothing.

On that note, Dale Jr. revealed what he thought NASCAR could do to make the competition more rewarding for all those who make the final round. He said (quoted by Yardbarker),

“If you had a four or five race battle in that final round, that's challenging. That would legitimize the champion. This guy, he did over these five races against these people the best. That would bring legitimacy back to that championship accomplishment.”

“The drivers that go to Phoenix, we've heard them say it doesn't feel as valuable or as cherished as the old way of winning (a championship) over the entire season. You can’t argue against that,” he added.

As things stand, this year’s Cup Series Championship race is scheduled for November 2 at Phoenix Raceway. However, as per the latest news, Homestead-Miami Speedway is expected to host the coveted race in 2026.