Dale Earnhardt Jr gives verdict on bubbling NASCAR | Sports News

Following a fierce late race battle for the win in Chicago between the wily veteran Shane van Gisbergen and the up-and-comer Connor Zilisch within the NASCAR Xfinity Series, JR Motorsports proprietor Dale Earnhardt Jr. has high hopes for the budding rivalry between his two star drivers.

Coming down the principle straightaway to start out the second-to-last lap at The Loop 110, Van Gisbergen muscled his well beyond Zilisch to reclaim the lead into flip one, with the 18-year-old sliding into the wall within the course of. With the JRM duo in the end ending first and second, it marked a historic day for the workforce as they hit 97 wins.

As for van Gisbergen, he wound up sweeping the weekend, profitable from pole in each the Xfinity and Cup Series. As such, the Supercars Championship legend has now received 4 of the six races held in Chicago since 2023.

The elbows-out motion between the 2 drivers proved controversial, with Earnhardt Jr. stunned by the New Zealander’s willingness to push previous his teammate, whereas Zilisch stated it was a helpful studying expertise for him.

Taking within the larger image, Earnhardt Jr. believes this could possibly be the beginning of not simply a friendship between the 2 drivers, however an eye-catching rivalry, reminiscent of that of Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. “They will be the best of friends. They will push each other in terms of trying to get better and besting each other,” he predicted on the Dale Jr. Download.

“Connor will get better and better as a road racer, believe it or not…It’s gonna be insane. SVG won’t be here for 20 years, and when he moves on, Connor Zilisch will be the SVG of the Cup Series. If everything works out like it should…

“SVGs a great guy. And Connors a good guy too. So they’ll find some common ground. It’ll be a lot like Gordon and Johnson, when they were at [Hendrick Motorsports], they had those races at Martinsville where they’d get out and go, ‘Man you f—— got me a little dirty.’ They’re gonna have those because they’re both good and they’re both gonna be up front.”

What’s more, with each Van Gisbergen and Zilisch at present in a league of their own in relation to highway programs, however in need of enchancment on ovals, Earnhardt Jr. reckons this mutual need to grow will “endear them to each other as they both have some things that they’re trying to accomplish together. 

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“And so, while that was a profound moment on Saturday, it was a bit of a look into the future, which was kind of fun.”

For van Gisbergen, it’s much less in regards to the future and more in regards to the right here and now. With two Cup Series wins this season and one other highway course race at Sonoma on the horizon, the 36-year-old is fifth within the playoff standings with 10 races to go.

Zilisch, who already has two Xfinity Series wins this season, has his complete profession forward of him, with the fourth Cup Series race of his younger profession approaching at Watkins Glen. 

“Connor Zilisch has the opportunity to be a multi-time, you know, four, five-time champion in NASCAR,” Earnhardt Jr. predicted. “He has the opportunity to have a 50+ win career. All that stuff is really realistic. And he’s just one of those guys that feels like he’s got not only the talent to do all of those things but the pathway and a ton of people in the industry that believe it.”