Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR crew chief: How his one-off Xfinity cameo came to be

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LONG POND, Pa. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been a driver, team owner, television analyst, podcast host and corporate spokesman throughout his years in NASCAR. This weekend at Pocono Raceway, he’s adding another role: crew chief for a team in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.

“I’ve sat on plenty of pit boxes, but it should be cool to see it from this perspective,” Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt is stepping into the role as fill-in crew chief for Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 car fielded by JR Motorsports, the team Earnhardt co-owns. The team’s regular crew chief, Mardy Lindley, is serving a one-race suspension after Zilisch’s car was found to have two lug nuts unsecured following the Nashville race earlier this month.

Even though Lindley will likely remain in communication with the team remotely, having someone on-site to lead the No. 88 team is a necessity. From Lindley’s perspective, it made sense that the person should be Earnhardt, so Lindley reached out to gauge his interest.

After thinking about it, Earnhardt took Lindley up on the offer.

“There’s probably over 100 people at JR Motorsports that would have been more qualified, but Mardy asked me to do it,” Earnhardt said. “So I was like, ‘You must want me to do it.’ … We got a great team and a great organization that can handle these types of challenges. Should be no problem.”

New role for Dale Earnhardt Jr. this weekend: crew chief. Here he is talking to Connor Zilisch and Jamie McMurray. pic.twitter.com/QMeFbTbWZJ

— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) June 20, 2025

Earnhardt acknowledges he has thought about serving as a crew chief, but the right circumstances never arose. With Pocono relatively straightforward in terms of strategy — such as when to pit and how many tires to put on — and with Earnhardt surrounded by a team that’s won two races (one with Zilisch, one with Kyle Larson) this season, the time felt right.

Pocono marks Earnhardt’s first time as crew chief at the NASCAR series level, and it’s at a track where he has two wins in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series. He’s quickly discovered how much he enjoys being more hands-on involved.

Flanked by the No. 88 team’s engineers, Earnhardt will be atop the pit box Saturday. From this position, he’ll lead the team by deciding what chassis adjustments to make, when Zilisch should pit, and other strategy calls that can make the difference between winning and losing.

“It’s way more fun than being the owner,” Earnhardt said. “When you’re the owner, you don’t do anything, and there’s nothing you provide of assistance during the race weekend. There’s nothing that you do that makes or breaks a weekend or lifts a team’s performance. And it sucks.

“I used to be a driver and have a role, and when you win, you get out (of the car) and go, ‘I was part of that.’ When you’re the owner, you’re just kind of standing there going, ‘Good job, everybody.’ But this is way more fun.”

“It’s not every day you get advice from a guy like him,” driver Connor Zilisch says of Dale Earnhardt Jr. “For him to be in there solely for you, it feels pretty cool.” (James Gilbert / Getty Images)

This week, Earnhardt attended the No. 88 team’s Wednesday competition meeting when Zilisch, Lindley, spotter Josh Williams and the team’s engineers extensively prepared for Pocono. During the meeting, Zilisch observed Earnhardt listening intently and writing in a notebook he brought. His boss also shared some key advice on how to best get around Pocono, one of NASCAR’s most uniquely configured and challenging tracks (it’s shaped like a triangle) and a place the 18-year-old Zilisch has never previously raced.

“He talked about how to manage the runs,” Zilisch said. “This is a track that’s got a really long straightaway, so timing your side drafts is important, and he gave me a few tips on that. I mean, it’s not every day you get advice from a guy like him. So for him to be in there solely for you, it feels pretty cool.”

After the competition meeting, Earnhardt went through pit practice Thursday to get reps on what he’ll need to do during pit stops. His duty is to stand behind the pit wall, assisting with the front tires that go on and off the No. 88 car — catching the right-front tire that’s rolled to him, then rolling a new tire to the left-front changer. It’s a job that might sound minor, but any tire that isn’t controlled results in a penalty — a fact not lost on Earnhardt.

“The toughest part is really just going to be getting involved in the pit stops,” Earnhardt said. “That’s a real job that could go bad; you don’t want to be the guy (who makes a mistake).

“I feel like I’ve got an understanding of what to expect.”

Friday, Earnhardt was in the garage right when it opened, helping the team prepare its Chevrolet. He accompanied the car as it went through technical inspection. It just so happened the car failed to pass on its first attempt. Earnhardt reacted like most veteran crew chiefs do when they disagree with a NASCAR ruling.

“I got my opinions, but I’ll keep it to myself till later today, once we get past (inspection),” Earnhardt said, laughing, “then I can speak freely.”

(Top photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

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