Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to ‘thrill’ of winning as crew chief for Connor Zilisch at Pocono

There is something I never thought I’d see: Dale Earnhardt Jr. not only being a crew chief, but being a winning crew chief. Dale Jr. got it done with Connor Zilisch today at Pocono in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. What a fitting way to get the win for both driver and crew chief.

Being a team owner and former driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been there and done that in racing. Today was different. Subbing in for the suspended Mardy Lindley, Earnhardt was calm and collected on top of the box.

No matter how much or little input he had, Dale Jr. was part of the team this weekend. He was even catching tires coming off the 88 car on pit stops. This win has his fingerprints on it forever.

“Yeah, it sure was [fun],” Earnhardt said on The CW broadcast after the win. “When we have an issue like this with somebody being suspended, and uh, Mardy and everybody, they know what to do. Just a great job, putting us in a position to succeed. And we had a lot of things go our way.

“A lot of good luck. Great strategy. Had a little help from Letarte up here. I wasn’t not gonna have Steve Letarte not get on this pit box after the races we won together in 2014. So, he was a big help. But Pat, everybody on this team, just amazing all weekend long. And what a great race car driver. Connor Zilisch is going to be a big deal in this sport for a long time. So, a lot of fun for me today!”

Winning is always fun. When you feel like you did something to actually help, it makes it even better.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the ‘thrill of competition’

When asked how this win compares to his time as a driver and team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was adamant – nothing compares. When you’re in the mix and fighting for your team, it’s different.

“I missed the thrill of competition, you know,” Earnhardt said. “I love broadcasting, don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to driving or just being kind of part of the team, and being an owner doesn’t really deliver like this. This is a lot of fun, thank you.”

Connor Zilisch led 34 laps today. He wasn’t the fastest on the track for all 250 miles. However, Zilisch was good enough. When Justin Allgaier and Chase Elliott got out of the picture on a late restart, he picked up the pieces. Then, he drove the 88 car to Victory Lane.

First oval win for Zilisch, first crew chief win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. This is going to be a fan-favorite win for many NASCAR fans.