“I hate that I did that to them,” said Connor Zilisch, visibly upset in the post-race interview at Iowa Speedway. Widely hailed as a ‘generational talent’, the 19-year-old was involved in a three-wide battle on Lap 214, which led to an unnecessary spin. His teammates, Justin Allgaier and Ross Chastain, were caught right in the middle of it, resulting in a disastrous situation for the No. 7 Chevy at the 2025 Hy-Vee PERKS 250.

With just four races remaining before the playoffs, the stakes are higher than ever. With both Zilisch and reigning champ Allgaier dominating the driver standings, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued a warning for his young driver after the debacle in Iowa.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants Zilisch to learn a lesson

Connor Zilisch is having quite a season, isn’t he? The ‘rookie’ has five wins already, including three in a row, and leads the standings tied with teammate Justin Allgaier. Going into Iowa Speedway, the youngster was eager to maintain his winning streak, and his No. 88 Chevy certainly had the speed to dominate the short track. Starting in fourth, he went on to win the opening stage, but a loose nut dropped him down to 25th for the restart on Lap 71. And it only got worse from there.

Zilisch found himself underneath teammate Ross Chastain’s No. 9 on Lap 214, resulting in a domino effect, which led to Justin Allgaier’s Chevy spinning right in the middle of the racetrack. Eager not to see such a situation happen again, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared some words of wisdom on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, saying, “I don’t mind you going for it for sure. Wrap the bottom, and if you make the pass, you make the pass. That’s kind of the way it is. That was my instant reaction when it happened.” He went on to say, “Sh-t happens. But it just doesn’t always have to. You just try to say, ‘Hey, let’s not make this a habit.’”

Justin Allgaier paid a big price for that spin. The reigning champ was forced to settle for a 16th-place finish at Iowa Speedway when the checkered flag was waved, while Zilisch ended up fourth, his worst finish in the last four races. However, taking accountability for his actions, the youngster admitted to his fault in the post-race interview and went on to say, “I apologise to the No. 7 team.” Ultimately, the 19-year-old has surpassed expectations this year already, and his lack of experience was always going to be reflected in some way or another. That’s where Dale Jr. comes in.

Sharing words of wisdom for such situations, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave some invaluable advice to Zilisch, saying, “If you are gonna go three-wide into Turn 1 under your teammates at Iowa, you better wrap the apron. Especially if it’s your teammates. If you’re making that decision on corner entry, you better adjust and make sure your a-s can wrap the apron and not get loose and get up your teammates.” While the youngster will consider the race at Iowa Speedway a missed opportunity, Junior will view it as a learning experience, one that will make his racer an even better driver.

Connor Zilisch opens up about the Allgaier incident

It’s not often that Connor Zilisch makes mistakes. The 19-year-old is one of NASCAR’s brightest prospects, and 10 consecutive top-five finishes in the Xfinity Series prove just how clinical he can be week in and week out. And while he did get it wrong at Iowa Speedway, the youngster still managed to salvage a fourth-place result when it could have easily been much worse. However, he couldn’t help but say that the result was “frustrating”, especially because he felt like “we had a car capable of winning the race.”

Sharing his thoughts on the incident with Justin Allgaier, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s prodigy said, “I was underneath the No. 9, and the No. 7 was on older tires. The No. 9 was trying to fill the middle and kind of came down and took my air away and got me a little free.” He acknowledged the situation could have been handled differently, saying, “I talked to Ross (Chastain) about it. He said, he probably could’ve not shot the middle, and you know, I probably could’ve maybe just gone into the corner easier, I don’t know.”

Still, JR Motorsports has nothing to worry about, yet. As things stand, 16 points separate Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier from Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer, who won the race at Iowa Speedway. And with four races remaining before the playoffs, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s drivers will look to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get back to winning ways at Watkins Glen International.