“I got to see behind some curtains that I never looked”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on ‘eye-opening’ perspective after stepping in as JRM crew chief 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped in as crew chief for his NASCAR Xfinity team, JR Motorsports last weekend at Pocono Raceway (June 21) and called the experience eye-opening.

Earnhardt Jr., who co-owns JRM with his sister Kelley Earnhardt, unexpectedly assumed crew chief duties for 18‑year‑old rookie Connor Zilisch after Mardy Lindley was sidelined. The No. 88 crew chief received a one‑race suspension due to loose lug nuts discovered post‑race in Nashville.

During a team meeting, the 50‑year‑old shared how the different perspective surprised him.

"Being in that position was a perspective that I've never experienced, and I got to see behind some curtains that I never looked behind before, and it really was impressive, and it just, that was really what the big takeaway for me was just how prepared the team was," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

"I mean, I kind of already know those things about y'all, but really seeing it through a new lens was really eye-opening and just made me very happy," he added.

Earnhardt Jr. also got his first victory as a crew chief after Zilisch passed Jesse Love with just five laps remaining and sealed his first oval win at the Tricky Triangle.

Earnhardt Jr. is also part of the broadcasting team for the Cup Series at Prime Video and TNT. The two‑time Daytona 500 winner retired from full‑time racing in the late 2010s and has worked as a broadcaster since 2018.

---

"I would happily do it" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. on getting back in the pit box

Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoyed the crew chief role more than being owner on race days. Before Saturday's race, he pointed out that there is nothing owners can do to assist the team during the race weekend.

"When you're the owner, you're just kind of standing there going, 'Good job, everybody.' So this is way more fun,'" Dale Earnhardt Jr. said (via NASCAR.com).

Following the race, Earnhardt Jr. responded to getting back in the crew chief seat by stating:

"It's really up to the crew chiefs and the teams individually... If they want me to do it, I would happily do it," Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt Jr. founded JRM in 2002 as a small street-stock team in North Carolina. The team made its Xfinity Series debut in 2005 and has since collected four NASCAR Xfinity championships, with Chase Elliott (2014), William Byron (2017), Tyler Reddick (2018) and the 2024 title with Justin Allgaier.

JRM also made its Cup Series debut this year at the season-opening Daytona 500, where Allgaier topped the qualifying among 'open' teams and finished in 9th place.