Zilisch Rises Above Chaos to Give Dale Jr. a Winning Crew Chief Debut

By Colin Ward

Photo by Adam Tropper, Motorsports Today

Connor Zilisch survived a chaotic afternoon at Pocono Raceway to win Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, capping off a wild Xfinity Series race that featured a record-setting ten cautions — the most ever in an Xfinity event at the Tricky Triangle.

The victory marked Zilisch’s first career win on an oval (or, a triangle). “It’s funny because my pit crew told me, ‘You won on a triangle,’” Zilisch laughed after the race. “You haven’t won on an oval yet.”

At just 18-years-old, Zilisch not only made history with the win, but added another chapter to what’s already becoming a breakout rookie season. It’s his second victory of the year and his third straight top-two finish on an oval, a stretch that’s rapidly building his confidence.

“Recently I’ve gained confidence for sure, especially on ovals,” he said. “This is my third oval race in a row finishing top two.”

The race also marked a milestone moment for NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who served as crew chief for the first time in his career — and went to Victory Lane in his debut!

“This was a ton of fun!” Earnhardt said with a grin. “I have a lot of respect for crew chiefs — it takes a long process to get to that role. I have a new understanding and respect for that position. I don’t think they get as much grace as the drivers do when they make a bad decision.”

With Earnhardt calling the shots from atop the pit box and spotter Josh Williams providing a steady voice in the headset as Zilisch, the young driver executed an incredibly smart race, amid much chaos around him. 

“Connor is a young man going on 35 — he has a ton of maturity,” Earnhardt said. “There’s not a lot of things that I tell him that he’s not already thinking.”

The chaos in question was a key story all throughout the race, but began almost immediately when Daniel Dye spun on lap three, triggering the first of what would eventually become ten cautions. Justin Bonsignore’s day ended on the next restart with a mechanical failure, and it didn’t take long for more contenders to fall.

Chase Elliott looked strong early before short-pitting to flip stage, opening the door for Brandon Jones to steal the stage one win. But disaster struck in stage two, when a massive wreck collected stage one winner Jones, Austin Hill, Daniel Dye, and William Sawalich — all strong cars taken out in the blink of an eye.

Zilisch then took over. Under the guidance of Earnhardt Jr., he emerged as one of the top cars and claimed the stage two victory. 

With about 25 laps to go, Chase Elliott clawed his way back to the lead — only for everything to unravel. On a restart with 13 laps remaining, Elliott and Justin Allgaier made contact entering turn one. The collision sent both of the race’s top drivers backward through the field and completely flipped the complexion of the race. What had looked like a duel between veterans turned into a battle for two young guns: Zilisch and Jesse Love.

Shortly after that restart contact, there was another caution for a spin. The race’s tenth and final caution, officially breaking the Pocono Xfinity record. The endless cycle of yellow flags not only shook up the field, but turned the event into a battle of attrition; one that Zilisch outlasted.

Out of the chaos, Zilisch and Jesse Love—the two best friends—found themselves battling for the win in the final laps. 

“It’s tough — you don’t want to go hang out on Monday and have him be mad at me,” Zilisch said of racing with Love. “I was trying to race him clean and give him a chance to race me. I had the better car today for sure. I was able to squeeze by without any chaos or contact.”

Zilisch made the move in turn one and never looked back, holding off Love to the finish and notching a statement win. 

With many road courses coming up on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule, Zilisch has an opportunity to maximize his points position with the playoff fast approaching. 

“I’ve never thought of myself as a non-title contender,” Zilisch added. “We knew at the beginning of the year it would be a bit of a struggle, but me and Mardy [Lindley] work hard.”

While his name might not make the headlines, Dale Earnhardt Jr. credited spotter Josh Williams for keeping Zilisch composed and informed through the day’s nonstop madness: “As far as direct line of communication for the majority of the day, that’s who was talking to Connor.”

As the series barrels into the summer stretch—packed with road courses and drafting tracks—Zilisch believes he’s ready for whatever he faces next. 

“The summer stretch is awesome! [There are] a lot of road courses, but I feel prepared to go to any track.”

In a race defined by record-setting caution flags, Saturday was a story of firsts: a first oval win for an 18-year-old rising star, and a first win atop the pit box for one of NASCAR’s most legendary figures. Together, Zilisch and Earnhardt Jr. delivered a landmark moment in the Pocono Mountains.