Dale Earnhardt Jr. Set For Crew Chief Debut With Connor Zilisch

As if Nascar Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t busy enough, he’s giving himself one more crazy assignment.

The two-time Nascar Xfinity Series champion will step on top of the pit box for the first time as a crew chief, working with JR Motorsports rookie driver Connor Zilisch during the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway.

Earnhardt will replace regular crew chief Mardy Lindley, who was suspended by Nascar for missing a pair of lug nuts following a race at Nashville.

Earnhardt, who is currently in an analyst role for Nascar on Prime Video, will be pulling double duty this weekend. He will be in his normal role with Amazon throughout the weekend’s Cup Series events.

Zilisch took the Nascar world by storm last year, winning in his Xfinity Series debut with JRM at Watkins Glen in dominating fashion. He inked a development deal with Trackhouse Racing, which formed a partnership with JR Motorsports to get him a full-time Xfinity Series ride in 2025.

Zilisch won the third race of the year at Circuit of the Americas, and has been in contention to win several additional events. He missed a race at Texas after he injured his back a week prior at Talladega Superspeedway. Even after missing an event, he sits fifth in the Xfinity Series standings.

Trackhouse has also begun to field a part-time fourth Cup Series team for Zilisch, with backing from Red Bull. He’s already competed in a pair of Cup races at COTA and Charlotte, finishing 23rd in Nascar’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.

Earnhardt has not raced an Xfinity Series car this year, with no races planned for the first time since his 1996 debut. Last year, he finished seventh in his only race at Bristol.