Dale Earnhardt Jr Returns to NASCAR Competition, But Not as a Driver

What’s Happening?

Dale Earnhardt Jr will sit atop the pit box for JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch this weekend at Pocono Raceway, marking Earnhardt’s first time as a NASCAR Crew Chief.

• Earnhardt Jr will fill in for Zillisch’s crew chief, Mardy Lindley, who is serving a one-race suspension after the No. 88 team was found to have loose lug nuts following the May 31 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
• The 50-year-old team owner joins Mike Harmon and DGM Racing owner Mario Gosselin as one of three Xfinity Series owners to serve as Crew Chiefs this weekend.
• Lindley moved to the Xfinity Series in 2023 to call the shots for Sam Mayer at JRM after several successful seasons at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Though he has not served as a NASCAR National Series Crew Chief for very long, Lindley has moved fast, winning six Craftsman Truck Series races and nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races since 2019.
• Zillisch is hands down NASCAR’s top prospect. Since February 2023, the 18-year-old Trackhouse Racing developmental driver has excelled from part-time ARCA, Trucks, and Xfinity to full-time Xfinity and part-time Cup Series driver. This year, Zilisch has one win and sits 5th in points despite missing a race due to injury.

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