Kelley Earnhardt drops three-word reaction to Connor Zilisch honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker

In honor of the annual "Throwback" weekend at the Darlington Raceway, Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch is set to drive a Buddy Baker-inspired paint scheme for the race. Zilisch sporting the Hall of Famer's livery caught the attention of Kelley Earnhardt, the older sister of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-owner of Jr. Motorsports.

Jr. Motorsports' social media team revealed a sneak peek of Zilisch's paint scheme honoring the NASCAR legend. The team wrote on Instagram:

"Ol' Buddy Baker. The No. 88 WeatherTech Throwback Chevrolet for Darlington is here, honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker and throwing back to his 1987 Crisco Oldsmobile."

This sparked a reaction from Kelley Earnhardt, who's worth is $50 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. She shared the news on her Instagram story. The daughter of the late Dale Earnhardt penned a three-word caption that read:

"Love this one!"

Screenshot via Instagram

Baker was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020. He won 19 Cup Series races, most notably the 1980 Daytona 500 and the 1970 Southern 500. Baker was also named one of the 75 Greatest NASCAR drivers in honor of the sport's 75-year anniversary in 2023.

Meanwhile, Zilisch competes full-time for Jr. Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. The 18-year-old has two career victories, including a win at Watkins Glen last year in his Xfinity debut. He wheeled the #88 Chevrolet to victory earlier this year at Circuit of the Americas for his first win of 2025. After five races, Zilisch sits ninth in the points standings.

Zilisch also made his Cup Series debut this year at CoTA when he got behind the wheel of the #87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. He started from the 14th position, but the race didn't pan out well for Zilisch as he crashed out and finished 37th in the event.

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Connor Zilisch reflected on pit road mistake at Las Vegas in a social media post

Connor Zilisch has burst onto the Xfinity Series scene this season as one of the circuit's top rookies. However, despite a strong run last Saturday at Las Vegas, a critical pit road mistake cost the driver of the #88 a solid finish.

Zilisch had his Jr. Motorsports machine up front for the bulk of Saturday's The LiUNA! race. Yet, a pit road speeding penalty in the final stage doomed his chances of a win. The rookie reflected on his race in an Instagram post, writing:

"Man… had such a fast car today and ran inside the top 3 all day until I sped on pit road in stage 3 and never caught a caution to bring us back into it. Thank you to @weathertech and @jrmotorsports for everything, just need to put it all together and we’ll be good💪🏼"

Zilisch's teammate, Justin Allgaier, went on to win the race. It was his 26th career Xfinity Series victory.