NASCAR Legend Steps Into New Role at Pocono This Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
NASCAR Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. is venturing into a new role this Saturday during the Xfinity race.
He’s set to make his crew chief debut for JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, driven by Connor Zilisch, at the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, taking place at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.
Veteran Mardy Lindy typically runs the show for the No. 88 car, but loose lug nuts discovered after the race in Nashville resulted in a $10,000 fine and a one-race penalty. It was a second-place finish on May 31 in Nashville from the team.
Add crew chief to his list of jobs!@DaleJr will call the shots for @ConnorZilisch, as Mardy Lindley serves a one-race suspension due to a lug-nut infraction at Nashville. pic.twitter.com/GSzX6pntUE
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 18, 2025
Earnhardt, a 24-time series winner and two-time Xfinity Series champion behind the wheel, had never called a race as crew chief in any of NASCAR’s three national series and thought that this weekend’s circumstances made it the right time to work with Zilisch.
Earnhardt made at least one Xfinity Series start annually from 2001 to 2024. He currently broadcasts for Prime Video and TNT Sports’ Cup Series television coverage, but he intends to continue his run of competitive appearances even though he has no plans to drive this season.
It will be Zilisch’s first-ever start at Pocono. The 18-year-old won at Circuit of The Americas in March to secure his spot in the 2025 Xfinity Series Playoffs and has claimed four top fives and six top 10s this year.
Earnhardt, a winner of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races, won two of those at the “Tricky Triangle.” He swept the event in 2014 and has 11 top fives and 15 top 10s across his career.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
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