WATCH: Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates Connor Zilisch’s Pocono win by welcoming him to the victory lane

Connor Zilisch captured a milestone victory at Pocono Raceway in the Xfinity Series, driving the #88 for JR Motorsports Chevrolet with Dale Earnhardt Jr. serving as his interim crew chief. This marked Zilisch’s first career oval win in the series and his third overall Xfinity victory following previous triumphs on road courses. He led for a total of 34 laps and executed a decisive late-race pass on Jesse Love to secure the victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR Hall of Famer and co-owner of JR Motorsports, made his crew chief debut for this event due to the regular crew chief’s suspension. The win has now put Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a rare company of individuals in the Xfinity Series to have won as a driver, team owner, and now crew chief. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s direct involvement extended beyond just racing strategy and involved morale boosting for the team and Zilisch, his young prodigy.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrated the victory in victory lane as seen in the video below:

The race featured multiple cautions and strategic pit stops, but Zilisch’s ability to navigate late-race restarts played a crucial role. A caution interrupting green flag pit stops caused drivers to adapt their strategies with 30 laps to go. Zilisch had pitted just before the caution, allowing him to leapfrog drivers like Chase Elliott and Justin Allgaier. On the final restart, Elliott and Allgaier’s battle for the lead opened the door for Zilisch to take the advantage and fight off Jesse Love.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why he agreed to become crew chief for Connor Zilisch over ‘more qualified’ JRM staff

Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped into the role of crew chief for Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway after regular crew chief Mardy Lindley received a one-race suspension for a post-race infraction at Nashville involving unsecured lug nuts.

Although Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged that there were “over 100 people at JR Motorsports that would have been more qualified”, he agreed to take on the responsibility at Lindley’s personal request, feeling that the team could handle the challenge thanks to its depth and experience.

“There’s probably over 100 people at JR Motorsports that would have been more qualified, but Mardy asked me to do it,” Earnhardt said. “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,” said Dale Jr. (via The Athletic)

“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.

This hands-on involvement, he said, was both enjoyable and meaningful, especially as it allowed him to support Zilisch and the crew through a unique situation