There were plenty of storylines for the Xfinity Series at Pocono Raceway. Chase Elliott put the No. 17 Chevy on the pole and certainly looked like the class of the field for much of the race. That wasn’t the biggest story of the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250. Connor Zilisch was hungry to get his first oval win. However, it was an even more special day, as he had his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., as his crew chief.
.@DaleJr adding Crew Chief to his resume this weekend! pic.twitter.com/QNzvI7Enmi
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 21, 2025
Connor Zilisch Scores First Oval Win at Pocono with Dale Jr as Crew Chief
The Xfinity Series at Pocono never disappoints, and that held throughout the 100-lap race. Elliott was fast from the start, as were Zilisch and Justin Allgaier. It was an incredible display from the Hendrick Engine Shop as all five looked like contenders all race long. Pocono can prove to be a tough place, especially for young drivers. That was quickly felt by rookie driver Daniel Dye, who lost control of his No. 10 car on lap 4. He spun out in turn three, which is one of the toughest corners in NASCAR.
Another incident occurred midway through the stage as the No. 19 of Justin Bonsignore lost its engine. An early and disappointing end to the very good modified driver who was making just his sixth career Xfinity Start.
Despite the early hiccups, the first stage went by in a flash, with plenty of drivers using varying strategies as Elliott pitted before the stage ended. Giving Brandon Jones the lead and the all-important playoff point. It was also a good first stage for the likes of Connor Zilisch, Nick Sanchez, and Ryan Sieg, who also finished in the Top five.
Stage Two Turns Ugly for Many Top Stars
Restarts at Pocono can be chaotic, and many drivers found that out during the second stage. Rookie William Swaliach collided with the likes of Jones, Austin Hill, and Dye in turn two, bringing the race to a halt just a handful of laps into the second stage. At that point in the race, Allgaier started to show strength in his No. 7 car, with Elliott and Zilisch not too far behind. Harrison Burton was also able to show a little bit of speed during the second stage.
After the incident was cleaned up, the drivers fired off for yet another restart. The green flag didn’t stay out for long as the No. 70 of Leyland Honeyman spun in the same turn as the previous caution. For all the talent in the field, stage two at Pocono got pretty sloppy. It was a quick stage, however, and with a huge strategy call to stay out of Earnhardt on the pit box, Connor Zilisch was able to score the stage two win, holding off a challenge from Taylor Gray.
Zilisch Outshines his Buddy Jesse Love
The final stage was gearing up to be a show. Especially with how strong Chevrolet has been this season and in this race alone. Sure, drivers would have to go through Elliott and Allgaier, and Zilisch as well. But during the final stanza, a new player rose to the front. RCR’s Jesse Love put his No. 2 car into the battle at the front.
Plenty of yellows came out during the final stage as several cars lost control all off of turn two. The biggest of those wrecks shook the race up entirely with less than 12 laps to go. After a strong day, Nick Sanchez got caught up in a hard crash with Sheldon Creed and Gray. With Creed and Sanchez suffering heavy damage.
That allowed Elliott, Allgaier, Zilisch, and Love to all lineup in the front two rows for the restart. It certainly felt like one of those four drivers was going to come out on top. Elliott had the best car all race, but an overaggressive move from Justin cost both the lead and any shot at the win as both slipped back going into turn one. As did Connor Zilisch.
Luckily, another spin brought one more yellow out. It also allowed Zilisch to get one more shot as his friend, Love. That’s all Connor needed, as he was able to pass Love with five to go, and score not only his first oval win of his career, but also give Dale Earnhardt Jr his first win as a crew chief.
The pass that sealed the deal for @ConnorZilisch! ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/5jRN32oq6E
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 21, 2025
What an awesome job by both Connor behind the wheel and Dale on the pit box. It was quite a special moment for the Xfinity Series on Saturday.
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Main Photo: Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images
Recording Date: 6/21/2025
