Connected through tragedy: Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares Mardy Lindley story after Pocono win as crew chief

Dale Earnhardt Jr. filled in for Connor Zilisch’s crew chief Mardy Lindley on top of the pit box for the No. 88 Chevrolet this past weekend at Pocono Raceway. While it seems like it would’ve been a no-brainer from the beginning, it actually took Lindley texting Earnhardt Jr. to convince him to do it prior to the race.

Lindley was suspended one week for the issue of loose lug nuts, and the No. 88 needed a man with a plan to coach Zilisch to victory. That’s exactly what Earnhardt Jr. did, but the story is even cooler than what you see on the surface.

Earnhardt Jr. shed some light on the history between him and Lindley following his first win as a crew chief. Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Mardy’s father, Butch Lindley, actually raced against one another back in their heyday. Dale Sr. and Butch ended up giving their lives to racing, and Mardy and Dale Jr. bonded over their shared tragedy of losing their fathers.

“It was a cool experience for me. I’m glad I did it,” Earnhardt Jr. stated, via Steven Taranto of CBS Sports. “I didn’t walk in and say, ‘Hey, can I do this?’ Mardy texted me and said, ‘Hey, would you want to do it? I think you could.’ So, it was his idea.

“I think we all should understand that the Lindley and Earnhardt families have a ton of history together, as far back as into the 70s, when dad and Mardy’s father were racing sportsman cars around, you know, the Southeast and so forth. Butch was a better driver, well-respected by everybody in the industry. I think me and him (Mardy) sharing this similarities and the tragedies that we both experienced, with losing our dads, has connected us.

“I remember when Butch was killed, my father went out of his way to bring Mardy in. I would ride with Tony [Eury] Sr. and Tony [Eury] Jr. to the Busch races in a 15 passenger van to Atlanta, and we’d stop on the side of the interstate to pick Mardy up, so he could be part of the team and go with us. I remember Mardy coming through our shop, the deer head shop, many times. Dad giving him advice, helping him out.

“Mardy becomes a driver, an incredible driver at that, in the Pro Series, and now a great crew chief. S,o there’s a lot of — there’s a really neat really neat connection there that I think sprung that idea into his head, for him to ask me to do this. I’m glad he did.”

As you can tell, getting the win during his first go-round as a crew chief was special to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for more reasons than originally thought. Him and Mardy Lindley have built, and continue to weave, a special connection, and their shared success at the track is something that both men cherish.