With NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his ear, rookie sensation Connor Zilisch earned his first oval win at Pocono Raceway Saturday. It was a double first for JR Motorsports, as team owner Dale Jr. scored his own first win as crew chief in his first attempt, stepping up to the pit box after the No. 88’s regular crew chief was suspended for missing lug nuts at Nashville.
To Zilisch’s credit, he didn’t need much else to score his first oval win. Zilisch has already won twice in the Xfinity Series, both on road courses, and won his class in the 24 Hours at Daytona, so his driving talent is not in doubt. But he’d also managed to score multiple top fives on ovals, including five runner-up finishes, so he had the speed to win on those tracks too.
At Pocono, Zilisch had the pace to battle at the front yet again, leading 34 of 100 laps race. Only Cup Series regular Chase Elliott led more laps, with 38. However, on the second-to-last restart, Justin Allgaier got loose into Turn 1, washing up in front of Elliott and sending both drivers back in the pack.
On the final restart, Zilisch restarted third. He made quick work of Christian Eckes to move into second. He then only had to address his friend Jesse Love. Zilisch got under Love exiting Turn 3 and powered by on the frontstretch coming to four laps to go. From there, he never looked back and took the checkered flag with a .437-second margin of victory.
For Zilisch, despite all his success in NASCAR and other racing series, the first oval win is a big deal. It offers validation of his skills on NASCAR’s most prevalent track type.
“I’ve been dying for this one for awhile now,” Zilisch said. “I know it hasn’t felt like that long, but, man, I’ve been so close on ovals lately: I finished second at Charlotte, second at Nashville.”
It was that second-place finish at Nashville that ultimately cost him his normal crew chief Mardy Lindley, who was suspended for a week after NASCAR discovered improperly applied lug nuts at the end of the race at Nashville. Zilisch seemed satisfied with his interim crew chief nonetheless, though he acknowledged the help the rest of the team gave.
“Yeah, Dale Jr’s not too bad on the box, pretty cool to have him up there,” Zilisch smiled. “He was kicking me in the ass on some of those restarts, giving me some advice.
“Advice from him is advice well taken for me, so it was pretty cool to have him, and to get him a one-for-one win as crew chief was pretty special. But Mardy did everything right to set this up, and I wish he could have been on the box today, but I know he’s with us in spirit.”
For Dale Jr. himself, the experience was special. He has remained a face of the sport since retiring through his role in broadcasting, but he’s also competed in select races to sate his competitive spirit. Serving as crew chief, especially winning crew chief, meant similar emotions, he said.
“I miss the thrill of competition. I love broadcasting, don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to driving or just being part of the team, and being an owner doesn’t really deliver like this,” a happy Dale Jr. said. “A lot of fun.”
However, he credited the rest of the team for their help. A suspended crew chief is able to set up the car and plan strategy for the weekend, and they can consult away from the track. While Dale Jr. was a voice in Zilisch’s ear, he also had voices in his ear of his own. That included his own former crew chief and friend Steve Letarte.
“When we had an issue like this, with somebody being suspended, Mardy [Lindley] and everybody, they know what to do. Just did a great job putting us in a position to succeed, and we had a lot of things go our way, a lot of good luck, great strategy,” he said. “Had a little help from Letarte up here. Everybody on this team was just amazing all weekend long.”
But while the team can prepare the strategy, the onus remained on Dale Jr. to execute that strategy and deliver it to his driver, something new to him that he proved a natural at. But Jr. specifically focused his praise on the driver who took the checkered flag.
“What a great racecar driver. Connor Zilisch is going to be a big deal in this sport for a long time. So a lot of fun for me today.”
Jesse Love finished second, followed by Christian Eckes, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Sieg. Carson Kvapil, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Taylor Gray, and Justin Allgaier all earned top-ten finishes.
The Xfinity Series returns at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) on Friday, June 27th for a night race.
FULL RESULTS
- SVG Has a Shot at Three as NASCAR Heads to Sonoma - July 10, 2025
- SVG Punts the Rugby Ball in Chicago; Zilisch Feels Like He Got Punted - July 5, 2025
- NASCAR Heads to Chicago for a Third Time, and Potentially the Last - July 3, 2025