Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch may be future Cup Series teammates, but they’ve had a couple of run-ins while racing in the Xfinity Series this season. The latest one came at Watkins Glen this past weekend, where Zilisch seemingly turned SVG during the final stage of the race.
The New Zealander was driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, which created a bit of an awkward situation for Dale Earnhardt Jr. considered Zilisch also races for him, but full-time. He dished out his opinion on the matter during the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download.
“Connor’s going to pass him at some point,” Earnhardt Jr. stated. “I think Connor could’ve gave up the ghost in that corner and gone back at it. But also, Connor’s getting some pressure from the No. 21. Connor lost a position to the No. 21 just a lap or two before this and had to pass him back. Connor is going to say, ‘I don’t know what else I could’ve done.’ I can accept that, as well. But I could also tell him, ‘Look man, you could’ve let him live in this corner. He doesn’t need to back into the wall and knock the damn deck-lid off.’
“These two guys have a bit of a history that was created in Chicago. I walked up to Connor after Chicago and said, ‘I didn’t think he raced you as well as he should’ve.’ He used him up in Turn 1, and I didn’t like that. But then you’ve got to go over to SVG in Victory Lane and say, ‘Hey, thanks for driving my car and winning the race today, this is badass.’ When you look at the statistics and on paper, it’s going to say, ‘SVG, JR Motorsports.’
“… My final opinion on this is, I think Connor could’ve let him live. We may be learning that Connor races with his own personal code of ethics, and he did what he needed to do. That’ll be interesting to find out over the course of the next decade, what type of driver Connor is in these situations.”
All things considered, it’s a very nuanced opinion from Earnhardt Jr., which is required from him in this situation. He thinks both wheelmen could’ve given a little to avoid a wreck, but this is far from the last chapter in their future rivalry, according to the two-time Daytona 500 winner.
“SVG’s not happy about it. I think it’s pretty clear that he’s not happy with being turned around. I would put it on both of them,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “The No. 9’s shading hard to the right. Connor could’ve given him a break. None of that happened. This is what we’re left with.
“I will say, these two guys are going to push each other. I don’t know that, in terms of road course racing, that they’ll be two drivers that have more respect for each other, in terms of ability. I think the sport wins. Fans win. If we’re going to get this over the next handful of years, however long SVG wants to do it, this is going to be a lot of fun for us to watch.”
Who knows when the next time Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch will share the track is, after the latter broke his collarbone in Victory Lane. No matter where it is, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be watching to see what transpires between the duo.
