LONG POND, Pa. (AP) \u2014 Dale Earnhardt Jr. might already be NASCAR\u2019s most popular crew chief. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s certainly an undefeated one.<\/p>\n
Pressed into unexpected service, Earnhardt called the shots for 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch<\/a> in the No. 88 Chevrolet and they landed in victory lane Saturday in the second-tier Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt good to have some input and decision-making power,\u201d Earnhardt said. \u201cAnd then helping Connor understand what our plan was so he knew when to push and what he was expected to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Earnhardt \u2014 who won NASCAR\u2019s most-popular driver award 15 times \u2014 made a pit stop from his day job as team owner at JR Motorsports with normal crew chief Mardy Lindley suspended one race because of a lug nut infraction this month at Nashville.<\/p>\n Aside from his duties as team owner, Earnhardt also was at Pocono for his role on the Prime broadcast for the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cLot of fun for me today,\u201d Earnhardt said. \u201cI missed the thrill of competition. I love broadcast, don\u2019t get me wrong. But nothing compares to driving or just being part of the team. Being an owner doesn\u2019t really deliver like this. This is a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Earnhardt had his wife and two young daughters in tow with him as he made the celebratory walk to victory lane. Oldest daughter Isla Rose clutched the checkered flag while youngest Nicole Lorraine soaked in the scene from her dad\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n \u201cI love that they just get to experience things about NASCAR,\u201d Earnhardt said. \u201cI had such a great time growing up as a kid in this sport, just running around here. I want them to have that opportunity and understand that this is a place where they could create opportunities for themselves down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n The win continued a banner season for the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver \u2014 who swept two races at Pocono<\/a> as a driver in 2014 \u2014 after JR Motorsports and reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier qualified for the season-opening Daytona 500 and secured their Cup Series debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earnhardt won two Daytona 500s, in 2004 and 2014, and 26 races overall.<\/p>\n His side hustle Saturday was made a bit easier with Zilisch behind the wheel. Zilisch, who turns 19 in July, raced to his second Xfinity victory of the season and third of his young career. He won his Xfinity debut last year at Watkins Glen International.<\/p>\n Earnhardt even pitched in during the race and tossed tires over the wall during pit stops.<\/p>\n \u201cMidway through the race man, I was feeling it,\u201d Earnhardt said.<\/p>\n Zilisch took the win down to the wire and finally passed Jesse Love with five laps left in the race. Love finished second.<\/p>\n \u201cDale Junior, not too bad on the box,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cPretty cool to have him up there. Getting him a 1-for-1 win as crew chief is pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with the victory, it just might be one-and-done on the pit box for Earnhardt.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know that I see myself doing it again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n