Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gives His Verdict on Connor Zilisch’s Sonoma Win After Epic Shane Van Gisbergen Duel

NASCAR headed to Sonoma this weekend. Shane van Gisbergen was believed to be one of the favorites for the Xfinity Series race on Saturday following his winning streak. However, the Kiwi driver failed to defeat his teammate Conner Zilisch in the race. Now, JR Motorsports co-owner and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has praised his two drivers for the 1-2 finish.

Zilisch and Gisbergen are two of the most exciting talents in the field. It is still early days for the 18-year-old, who is proving himself as a potential champion in the future. On the other hand, Shane van Gisbergen is showing that he can even dominate the NASCAR field after winning three titles in Australia’s V8 Supercars.

At Sonoma, the two were fighting hard for the lead, giving fans some thrilling on-track action. Ultimately, it was Connor Zilisch who made his way to Victory Lane with his teammate securing second place. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was just happy to see JRM bag the two spots in the race. He joked that it didn’t matter which driver won and who came second, as long as the team scored the points.

Though, he acknowledged that both Zilisch and Gisbergen fought hard for victory. Dale Jr. pointed out that Shane van Gisbergen failed to defeat his teammate. However, this was something expected as the two have continued to battle one another across the season this year.

Well, I just hope we finished one, two. And you know, it didn’t matter who it was that crossed the finish line first but you know, you gotta race hard and try to get the win. SVG wanted to win the race but he’s gotta take care of Connor at the same time. They’re gonna, you know, this is exactly what we saw last week and we saw, you know, a little bit of a different outcome. But we know that they’re going to more than likely be teammates racing into the future and beyond.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. told CW.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. predicts promising future for JRM drivers

Earnhardt Jr. is a NASCAR veteran who has an eye for talent. The 50-year-old is proud to have such talented drivers at JRM. Not only have Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch brought results on-track, but even showed potential for more success in the sport.