Dale Earnhardt Jr’.s Lone Crew Chief Triumph Rocked by Driver’s Post-Race Shenanigans

It was all cheers and smiles around the JR Motorsports team. 100 laps of daring passes, tight restarts, and jaw-dropping strategy, the Pocono Mountains 250 put on an absolute show this weekend. When the Xfinity Series rolled into the iconic Tricky Triangle, nobody expected 18-year-old rookie phenom Connor Zilisch to score his first oval victory. One person who played a huge role in it was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was making his debut as Connor’s crew chief!

However, the young driver took his celebration a bit too far, as he stepped on driver-turned-crew-chief for the day, Dale Jr.’s biggest pet peeve. In true teenager fashion, the young gun staged the celebration show so over-the-top that it clashed with Dale Jr.’s style. A fitting twist for a race full of drama.

Connor Zilisch wins his first-ever oval race

If you’re a regular listener of The Dale Jr. Download, you already know that the Hall of Famer has one celebration that makes his skin crawl: a driver climbing out of the roof hatch. He ranted about it, laughed about it, and made it clear. He thinks it’s just a little too dramatic. So imagine his reaction when, moments after guiding Connor to a perfect win, the rookie popped out of the top like a bottle of champagne on the 4th of July right in front of the boss.

Connor Zilisch shrugged in indifference when told that Dale Earnhardt Jr. might not like his celebration as he popped out of the roof hatch, but behind that shrug was a fire burning for red redemption. The No. 88 driver’s been knocking on the door of an oval win for months; despite dominating on road courses like Watkins Glen and COTA, his oval breakthrough was held just out of reach. Finally, at Pocono, he kicked it down. It looks like the third time’s the charm.

Speaking to Jamie Little after the race, Zilisch said, “Yeah, I’ve been dying for this one for a while now. I know it hasn’t felt like that long, but man, I’ve been so close on ovals lately, and I finished second in Charlotte, second in Nashville, and Dale Jr. not too bad on the box, pretty cool to have him up there.” Connor started in 7th after qualifying, battled through a race full of restarts (10 cautions) and stage wins, claiming stage 2 to stay in contention. Chevy teammates traded the lead: Chase Elliott and Justin Allgaier took turns up front, but Zilisch surged, leading a total of 34 laps across three stints.

As the final stage played out, Connor Zilisch and fellow rising star Jesse Love dominated the race. With four laps to go, Connor lay side-by-side with Love, then pulled ahead exiting Turn 1 on Lap 97, and held on to secure the win by 0.437 seconds to score his second win of the season. Zilisch added, “I’ve been chasing an oval win for a while now,” and this win wouldn’t have been possible without Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s guidance.

When asked what kind of value Hall of Fame racer had added as a crew chief, Connor immediately smiled and responded while laughing, saying, “It’s pretty funny; he was kicking me in the a– on some of those race starts, giving me some advice so yeah, the advice from him is advice well taken from me. So, yeah, it was really cool to have him, and you know, yeah, one-for-one win as a crew chief is pretty awesome as well.” However, Connor also paid homage to his full-time crew chief, Mardy Lindley, who got suspended for the two unsecured lug nuts found post-race in Nashville, saying, “But Mardy did everything right to set this up, and I wish he could have been on the box, but I know he’s with us in spirit.”

With Dale Earnhardt Jr. calling strategy and urging him to “push the s— out of the 17 (Chase Elliott)” on the restart, Zilisch punched through that barrier to conquer the tri-oval. And as for Dale Jr.? he couldn’t resist sharing his thrill post-race. Earnhardt Jr. said, “It felt good to have some input and decision-making power. And then helping Connor understand what our plan was, so he knew when to push and what he was expected to do.”

Moreover, Junior admits that he could get comfortable behind the crew chief chair, saying, “A lot of fun for me today. I missed the thrill of competition. I love broadcast, don’t get me wrong. But nothing compares to driving or just being part of the team. Being an owner doesn’t really deliver like this. This is a lot of fun.”

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his crew celebrated their second consecutive Xfinity triumph, a former JRM driver fell short yet again at Pocono.

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Chase Elliott denied an Xfinity win at Pocono

Chase Elliott came into Pocono with nothing to prove and yet everything to gain. Wheeling the No. 17 Hendrick Chevrolet, the 2014 Xfinity Series champion with JRM, laid down a blistering 54.209-second lap and grabbed his first Xfinity Series pole in a decade. It was vintage Chase: smooth, fast, and locked in. And when the green flag dropped, he didn’t just look strong; he was strong. Leading the early laps with a calculated calm through a field of hungry young drivers.

For a while, it looks like the day might belong to him. Elliot led a race-high 38 laps, controlling the pace through multiple cautions and restarts. But Pocono is a three-cornered beast, and strategy can bite. A late race caution during green flag pit stops turned the race on its head. While Connor Zilisch had already fitted and cycled forward, Elliot was caught mid-run and shuffled back to 5th as the field reset for the final dash. He clawed his way back to the front and even reclaimed the lead at one point, but then came a restart that changed everything.

In a jostle with Justin Allgaier, contact sent both Chevrolets tumbling back down the order. Elliot’s rhythm broke, and his clean eye was gone. Chase Elliott struck back-and-forth, so close to glory, yet just enough for it to sting. He did everything right for most of the day; one poorly timed caution and one rough restart robbed him of a comeback win.

The tricky triangle had the last word, and Chase left with a result that didn’t tell the full story of how good he was. However, Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 can prove to be his comeback. Do you think Chase Elliott has what it takes to break his sinless streak at Pocono this Sunday? Let us know in the comments!