Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Connor Zilisch NASCAR, stardom ceiling: 'Y'all ain't seen nothing'

Connor Zilisch claimed his fifth Xfinity Series win over the weekend. It was his third straight victory on the circuit, elevating him into rarefied air.

But the fun might just be getting started. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has watched his young driver grow and he warned everyone about what might be coming.

“Now, it’s getting out there. He’s in the conversation. But y’all ain’t seen nothing,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download. “Like if this kid keeps doing what he’s doing and gets to the Cup level and starts replicating some of this success… they sky is the limit. Household name. Marketable. Oh my God.”

Connor Zilisch has already quickly become a favorite on the Xfinity Series circuit, with the JR Motorsports product producing on a weekly basis. He sits second in the standings in points, trailing Justin Allgaier‘s lead by only 21 points.

His five wins are a high in the Xfinity Series so far this season. The momentum is building at an incredibly rapid pace.

For the fans, Earnhardt suggested they’re in for something special. And the ones that are watching now are going to remember it down the road. Because Connor Zilisch won’t remain a secret for long.

“I would relate it to an analogy around music,” Earnhardt said. “So music, you have probably, everybody’s probably had the experience where they’ve discovered a song, right, that’s really good that no one really knows yet. And you’re like, ‘F*ck this is a good song.’ And you don’t know that it’s going to blow up, but you’re like, ‘Man, I really like this f*cking song.’

“And you’ll play it for a friend and they’re like, ‘Ah, ain’t heard that.’ And you’re like, ‘You ain’t heard this? Goll, I feel like this should be playing everywhere and everyone should know it.’ ‘Nah, nah, don’t know it. It’s good. I like it. Thanks.’ And then like two months later you’re sick of it because it’s all you hear on the radio because now it’s the biggest damn song in the country.”

“And you’re like, ‘I f*cking knew that, way back.’ And you’re not really sick of it, but you’re like, ‘Oh right, everybody loves the song now. It really blew up. I knew it would. I heard it before anyone else heard it around in my circle.’ And that’s kind of what this Connor Zilisch thing feels like.”

It’s a nice metaphor for the kind of popularity upswing that Connor Zilisch will see if he continues on his current trajectory. Few have done what he’s doing at that age.

“The idea is that we’re all sitting here hearing the song for the first time,” Earnhardt said. “And we’re all going, ‘Damn this is a good song.’ But really the rest of the world has yet to really get a listen. You know what I’m saying?”

Is it too much to pin all those expectations on a 19-year-old driver? Perhaps.

But if anyone can relate to dealing with that kind of authentic groundswell of support, it’s Earnhardt. He carried one of the biggest names in the sport and had to adapt to the entire sport bearing down on him.

So if he says Connor Zilisch can handle it, he’s probably got a pretty good idea what he’s talking about. Earnhardt finished:

“I guess maybe part of it is wishful thinking because we’re all like clamoring for that next NASCAR superstar that could take us to Saturday Night Live or get into the places where we don’t get, right?” Earnhardt said. “And become that national superstar in all forms, right? Entertainment, music, start seeing him in music videos and all kinds of shit, right? We’re all clamoring for that next person that drags us into the stratosphere with them. Takes the whole sport into the mainstream again. That brings the sport back to the level of attendance that we’re expecting and hoping for.

“And, yes, a single driver can have that type of connection. And I hate to put the pressure on the kid, but I feel like he’s got a shot at it. And I feel like right now we’re all listening to his song going, ‘Damn it’s a good song, but the rest of the world ain’t heard it yet.'”