Connor Zilisch Injured in Victory Lane Fall
NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch is recovering from a broken collarbone sustained during a post-race celebration at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who leads the Xfinity Series points standings, had just secured his sixth victory of the season when the incident occurred.
In a moment captured on video by a racing news outlet, Zilisch attempted to climb onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet to celebrate his win. However, he lost his footing after his left foot became entangled in the window netting, resulting in a headfirst fall to the ground.
Following the fall, Zilisch was promptly placed on a backboard and transported to the trackside medical center before being taken to a hospital for further assessment. NASCAR confirmed that he was "awake and alert" during this process.
Hours later, Zilisch took to social media to update his fans. "Thank you everybody for reaching out today. I'm out of the hospital and getting better already," he posted. "Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear; I just have a broken collarbone."
He expressed gratitude towards the medical staff for their swift response and reflected on the incident, stating he was "grateful it wasn't any worse."
In light of Zilisch's injury, Trackhouse Racing withdrew the No. 87 Chevrolet from the Cup race scheduled for Sunday at Watkins Glen. His next appearance in the Xfinity Series is set for August 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
The fall overshadowed an already eventful day for Zilisch, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team. After starting from pole position, he collided with teammate Shane van Gisbergen while contending for the lead on Lap 65. Despite being pushed back to fifth place during a restart, Zilisch regained the lead and maintained it for the final four laps.
"He did such a great job of getting back through the field and getting the lead," said crew chief Mardy Lindley in an interview following the race. "Praying for Connor right now that he's OK. I think he's going to be fine."
This season has been challenging for Zilisch; he previously missed a race at Texas Motor Speedway due to a back injury from a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Since returning, he has achieved 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins.
