Connor Zilisch Suffers Broken Collarbone in Victory Celebration at Watkins Glen
NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader Connor Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone after a fall in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International.
After securing his sixth win of the season, Zilisch attempted to celebrate by climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet. However, he slipped, apparently with his left foot getting caught in the driver’s side window net, and fell hard onto the asphalt.
Zilisch, 19, was taken on a stretcher to the track’s medical center and then to a hospital for a more thorough evaluation. Two hours later, he posted on X that he had a broken collarbone, but that CT scans showed no head injury.
“Thanks everyone for reaching out today,” Zilisch posted. “I’m out of the hospital and improving. Grateful to all the doctors for their quick care and thankful it wasn’t worse.”
Connor Zilisch
Update: Broke my collarbone. CT scans came back clean so no head injury. Thanks for all the kind words. Looking forward to getting back to the track as soon as possible! 🙏
Zilisch will not be able to participate in Sunday’s Cup race at Watkins Glen. After competing in the Truck and Xfinity Series in the last two days on the road course, he was scheduled to complete a tripleheader by making his fourth Cup start this season for Trackhouse Racing.
Trackhouse Racing announced that it would withdraw Zilisch’s No. 87 car from Sunday’s race.The incident occurred on an eventful day for Zilisch, who races for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team.
After starting from the pole position, Zilisch collided with teammate Shane van Gisbergen’s car while battling for the lead on lap 65. After being pushed from the lead to fifth place on a restart, Zilisch regained first place and led the final four laps.
“He did a great job coming back and taking the lead,” crew chief Mardy Lindley told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race. “Praying for Connor right now, that he’s okay. I think he’ll be alright.”
Zilisch missed a race earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway after suffering a back injury during a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. He has 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return.
