By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Dan Ryan / Pocono Raceway
Race driver Connor Zilisch earned his first oval win Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Dale Jr, the crew chief, becomes the ninth person in history to win in NASCAR as a driver, owner, and crew chief.
History was being made for the second week in a row in NASCAR. The 18-year-old won his second race of the season, his third career win as an XFINITITY driver. He passed Jesse Love to win the race.
Love finished second in the race, Christian Eckes finished third, and Chase Elliot finished fourth. The top four drivers all represented Chevrolet.
Zilisch and Dale Jr. seem to work well together, and we could be seeing the beginning of a potential long-term bond between a driver and crew chief. Zilisch had this to say about working with the Hall of Famer.
“It’s pretty funny, he was kicking me in the ass on some of those restarts, giving me some advice,” Zilisch said after the event. “I will take his advice, so it’s cool to have him and get him 1-1 with a win as a crew chief. That’s pretty awesome as well. But yeah, Marty did everything right to set this car up, and I wish he could have been on the box today.”
It’s a weird position for Dale Jr. because he’s accustomed to driving cars instead of being at the box and coaching/managing drivers. Dale Jr. is also adjusting to life in the broadcast booth, but this is an experience he will slowly have to get used to as well.
“I miss the thrill of competition,” Dale Jr said. “I love broadcasting, don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to driving or being part of the team. Being an owner doesn’t deliver like this. It was a lot of fun.”
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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