Dale Earnhardt Jr. tips his hat to JRM's ‘rookies’ for a ‘solid’ outing at Atlanta

Dale Earnhardt Jr. commended his team's rookie drivers for a solid outing during the chaotic Xfinity race at EchoPark Speedway. The JR Motorsports co-owner tipped his hat to Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch, who outperformed defending Xfinity Champion Justin Allgaier for a second and fourth-place finish this Saturday (June 28).

The Focused Health 250 was slowed by a weather delay after a lightning hold and multiple cautions. A major wreck reshaped the race late and Nick Sanchez of Big Machine Racing claimed his first career Xfinity Series win by expertly retaking the lead from Kvapil after a restart with fewer than ten laps to go.

"Solid job by a couple rookies," Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on X.

A substantial red-flag pause for lightning stretched the race over two calendar days and it finished in the early hours of Saturday (June 28). Kvapil came off a top-10 at Pocono and started the race from the back of the field. The Mooresville, NC native, who lost by 0.139 seconds, said:

"To be that close really does sting. I couldn’t really generate a run there. I didn’t feel like we had enough cars nose-to-tail and organized." (via NASCAR's official site)

Allgaier, who had a second-place finish at the 1.54-mile oval earlier this year, had a tough night and finished 31st after being caught in a backstretch multi-car wreck on lap 41. The JR Motorsports veteran had qualified 16th but was among several drivers, including teammate Sammy Smith who were eliminated following the crash.

However, the 39-year-old still leads the Xfinity Series points standings after three wins and 10 top-fives so far.

"I don’t care if it’s JR Motorsports" — Dale Earnhardt Jr. on roofs-hatch-based cheating

Dale Earnhardt Jr. filled in for suspended crew chief Mardy Lindley last week and when Connor Zilisch climbed out of the roof hatch after his first oval win at Pocono. The JRM No. 88 Chevy driver said Justin Allgaier told him to do the same on the Dale Jr. Download.

Earnhardt Jr. explained his dislike for it during the episode and said that he assumed winners who climbed out the roof hatch were cheating. He remembered past races at Daytona and Talladega when his teammate Michael Waltrip would climb out of the hatch and Jr. thought maybe they had opened it during the race to reduce air resistance and gain a speed advantage.

"You don’t see many people pop out of the roof hatch. If they’re doing it at Daytona and Talladega, I’m absolutely thinking your a** is cheating. I don’t care if it’s JR Motorsports. Now, everybody’s coming out of the roof hatch when we win," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said (via on3.com).

The Xfinity Series will race at the Chicago Street Course next Saturday, July 5.