“Every week I show up thinking, Man, this is going to be the weekend that we just run eighth.” Connor Zilisch added this apprehension in his recent post-victory interview. The No. 88 JR Motorsports driver clinched his 10th Xfinity Series career win at Gateway and thereby won the regular season championship. He enters the playoffs with a solid 59-point playoff advantage. However, veterans of the NASCAR garage, including his team owner, Dale Jr., are biting their nails.

NASCAR currently follows the playoff format that has been part of a hot debate. Last year, Kyle Larson won 6 Cup Series races and yet could not crack the Championship 4. Back in 2010, Denny Hamlin won 8 races only to admit defeat to Jimmie Johnson in the final race. These past instances are keeping Dale Jr. on the edge of his seat about Connor Zilisch.

Dale Jr. sees a potential blip on the radar

Ever since the 19-year-old phenom debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has been on fire. From clinching his debut race trophy in Watkins Glen to winning four consecutive races as a rookie, Zilisch’s streak has been almost invincible. Yet, keep note of that word we used – ‘almost.’ Zilisch is inching closer to Kyle Busch’s record of 13 Xfinity Series trophies in 2010 – but Busch did not clinch the championship this season. Similarly, although Zilisch’s endeavor is proving to be streamingly hot, NASCAR’s playoff format might come in his way. The system allows for a wildcard title winner, as anybody can come and steal Zilisch’s sparkle by the end of the season if the youngster makes a small mistake.

That is why Denny Hamlin, who is still waiting for a Cup Series title after two decades, professed his apprehensions for Zilisch recently. And that is why Dale Jr. also concurred. In a recent Dale Jr. Download episode, the JR Motorsports team owner said Zilisch’s flawless execution may have to bow to NASCAR’s cutthroat playoff format. “I’m on pins and needles because I don’t know how long they can keep this going,” he said. “When you get to the finals, he’s going to win it, not having somebody sneak up in there and take it away from you. That happens from time to time. Denny talked about this on his podcast…’Man, I got a feeling. That 88’s gonna win 10 races and lose the championship. Just because of the format.'”

Yet, like Denny Hamlin, Connor Zilisch can focus on the positive goals. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran prioritized winning races over the championship recently, and Dale Jr. is also focusing on the same. He said, “But you know, you’ve got all of this success. I think we’re kind of out there looking in front of that record of most wins in a season for an organization. I think Joe Gibbs has it at 19 or 20…That’s a goal.” What is more, the veteran also gleaned hope from rumblings of a playoff format tweak. He continued, “But the good news is, most likely we’re gonna move away from this format…especially if Connor Zilisch wins 10 races and doesn’t win the championship.”

While Dale Jr. sees a blip on the radar of Connor Zilisch’s success, the latter also sees a recurrent problem. That lies in his Victory Lane celebrations.

Connor Zilisch treads cautiously now

The dazzling nature of the No. 88 Chevrolet’s season has left people starstruck. But Connor Zilisch was swept a little too far off his feet at Watkins Glen. While celebrating his victory, he slipped on his window net and fell to the ground there, breaking his collarbone. That painful accident took two weeks to recover, and Zilisch was back in action at Portland. However, little did he know that more mishaps were awaiting him at the St. Louis track’s Victory Lane. First, he came uncomfortably close to a cameraman as he slid his car down the frontstretch. He then backed his No. 88 into the wall while performing burnouts. Finally, he slid down the windshield and hood, where he apparently ripped his firesuit.

Although Connor Zilisch took precautions after his Watkins Glen accident, these events made him scratch his head. Dale Jr.’s driver said on Saturday, “I actually thought of that when I was up there (the slide), and I actually ripped my firesuit. I guess I just can’t celebrate. I should just get out of the car and sit on the ground because everything I do just seems to go to hell. Yeah, I got to figure out what to do. I was just sitting up there, it looked like an easy way down, and I didn’t think I would get hurt doing that. My idea, but poorly executed.”

Clearly, Connor Zilisch will need to polish his celebratory skills, as his racing skills are already in place. Nevertheless, let us wait and see whether Dale Jr. can avoid his apprehensions or not.