Latest news with #DaleJrDownload
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Connor Zilisch Pokes Fun at Dale Earnhardt Jr. After Xfinity Win at Pocono
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Connor Zilisch may have taken a lighthearted jab at his team boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., with the way he celebrated his NASCAR Xfinity Series race win at Pocono. The race marked the pair's first race together as driver and crew chief. Zilisch's second victory of the season arrived after he capitalized on a caution on Lap 71 and stayed in the battle for the top spot. Just as Justin Allgaier and Chase Elliott brought their elbows out, Zilisch was quick to take advantage of the situation. Though Jesse Love took the lead, Zilisch ensured he got a strong restart and overtook Love in just four laps to win the race. The 18-year-old executed the race calmly and showed no signs of haste. Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Registix Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Registix Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025 in Long Pond, this marked a great race day for Zilisch and Dale Jr., who was serving as the interim crew chief for the 18-year-old driver, Zilisch's post-race celebrations would have likely annoyed Dale Jr. The former NASCAR Cup Series driver has admitted on his Dale Jr. Download podcast that he isn't a fan of drivers emerging from the car's roof hatch to celebrate. However, Zilisch did just that. Was this a way of poking fun at his new boss? Only Zilisch knows that. Well, that'll be a topic on the @DaleJr Download 🤣 — Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) June 21, 2025 Speaking after his Xfinity win, Zilisch addressed his race preparations and admitted that a driver must trust the simulator. He said: "There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I've done a lot to prepare myself for this. I never feel like I show up to a racetrack and I'm like, 'man, I'm nervous. I don't know what I'm going to do.' I always have a plan showing up to a new racetrack. I showed that today. I went out for practice and I was third on the first lap never seeing the place before. "It's not easy to do that. I was going wide open down into [turn] 1, and I was like, 'wow, this is fast.' You kind of just have to trust the simulator and trust your notes and what you've seen and watched. I try to give myself an idea of what I'm going to see when I get to the racetrack without having to overthink about it." He added: "I've folded more times than I've been able to count this year, so I wouldn't say I'm perfect. It's just a matter of preparing and not letting any situation be too big. Those restarts can be chaotic and nerve-wracking, especially when you're up there at the front racing for a win. But I treat any race the same - I run my next best corner and hope that what I do works out for me. Sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it does. Today, it worked out."
Newsweek
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Ryan Blaney Faces Scrutiny Of NASCAR Insiders After Texas: "Something Is Going On"
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ryan Blaney, who clinched the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2023 and finished second in 2024, has come under the scrutiny of industry insiders, including Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2025 so far, the Team Penske driver has suffered four race retirements. During the Dale Jr Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr. reacted to Blaney's troublesome race at Texas Motor Speedway which saw him make a "dumb decision," as the driver branded it, on one of the restarts. Earnhardt Jr. explained: "Ryan Blaney choosing the second row on the inside instead of starting next to [Kyle] Larson late in the race. And he got out and said, 'Yeah, I messed up.' "The only type of driver that I see make that move and I go, 'Oh, okay,' is a guy like [Ross] Chastain. I know that he's probably thinking, 'I'm [expletive] going three-wide here. But Blaney is not that guy. Blaney is not going to put his fellow competitors in a three-wide situation. Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, greets fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025... Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, greets fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. More"I feel like in those situations, I know you don't love restarting on the outside, but I think you have to. You just have to do it. If we get a chance to see Blaney, we've got to ask him what's going on. Something's going on with Blaney." Blaney claimed he made "dumb decisions" in Texas. He explained, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports: "The one time I didn't pick the outside, the 71 [McDowell] gets the lead, and then I couldn't get it back. "Just driver making dumb decisions and not doing his job. I appreciate the 12 car was a fast car. Just can't do nothing right currently, so hopefully it will work itself out." Commenting on the restart, Blaney added: "The top wasn't very good at all. It was pretty dirty. And the one time I have a shot to do it, and don't do it, the guy [McDowell] gets the lead. "So I just didn't do a good job. Then it was hard to get it after that. Just didn't get a good push, and just could never hang with them over in [Turns] 3 and 4." Blaney concluded, discussing his climb from 24th to 3rd: "Honestly, we really didn't do it with strategy. "We just kind of passed cars. So no, it was good and I thought our car was really good. I couldn't get control of the race. "So, overall, a proud day, fast car, and hopefully go forward. We've had speed all year, so it was nice that in the last couple of weeks, we've [Penske] gotten a car in Victory Lane. So that's good, hopefully we can join them."
