Ex-NASCAR crew chief reacts to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Connor Zilisch’s winning debut partnership

NASCAR prodigy Connor Zilisch won the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 event at Pocono Raceway with the help of his rookie crew chief, Dale Earnhardt Jr., on June 21, 2025. Following Zilisch's triumph at the 2.5-mile oval track, the former NASCAR crew chief, Rodney Childers, congratulated the duo on the win.

The JR Motorsports driver had a good start during the qualifying session for the 250-mile race. He finished inside the top ten drivers in P9 with a best time of 54.36 seconds and a top speed of 164.74 mph.

Zilisch was 0.42 seconds behind the pole-sitter, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, who had a top speed of 166.02 mph in his #17 Chevy. Also, the former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. debuted as crew chief for the #88 Chevy in the 100-lap event due to the regular crew chief's suspension.

Following a decent start, Connor Zilisch led 34 laps and pulled a last-minute maneuver on Jesse Love to take home his first victory on an oval track. Reflecting on the third career win for the young driver and Earnhardt Jr.'s debut partnership with Zilisch, Rodney Childers stated:

"Congrats to @ConnorZilisch and everyone @JRMotorsports .. The crew chief didn’t do too bad either.. Great job @DaleJr and @Mardylindley!"

Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love finished the race one spot behind Zilisch. Christian Eckes of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing came in third, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports came in fourth, and Ryan Sieg of RSS Racing finished in fifth place.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. got candid about agreeing to become Connor Zilisch's crew chief despite having a ‘more qualified’ staff

Former NASCAR Cup Series star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped in as Connor Zilisch's crew chief after his regular crew chief, Mardy Lindley, was suspended following a post-race inspection at Nashville Superspeedway for having a loose lug nut.

Reflecting on the one-race suspension, Dale Jr. served as Zilisch's crew chief for the 250-mile race at Pocono Raceway after Lindley's personal request. Earnhardt Jr. further told The Athletic:

“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."

“It’s way more fun than being the owner. When you’re the owner, you don’t do anything, and there’s nothing you provide of assistance during the race weekend. There’s nothing that you do that makes or breaks a weekend or lifts a team’s performance. And it sucks. When you’re the owner, you’re just kind of standing there going, ‘Good job, everybody.’ But this is way more fun," Dale Earnhardt Jr. further added.

With 488 points, Connor Zilisch ranks fifth in the Xfinity Series points table. He has secured two wins, seven top-ten finishes, and five top-five finishes with four pole positions in 15 starts this season. Additionally, he has led 240 laps and has an average start of 6.333.