DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch will seek to compete at Daytona International Speedway this Friday, less than two weeks after suffering a broken collarbone in an unfortunate accident in the victory lane.
The Xfinity Series points leader announced on Thursday that he has received medical clearance to compete and will be present for qualifying, with the intention of completing the 100 laps at Daytona. Parker Kligerman will be on standby at Daytona as a substitute, if necessary.
Zilisch, a 19-year-old young driver who was expected to compete in the Cup Series next year for Trackhouse Racing, underwent surgery last week to insert a plate to stabilize the fractured bone. His foot got caught in his window net at Watkins Glen on August 9, causing him to fall headfirst onto the concrete.
With three races remaining in the regular season, Zilisch maintains a seven-point lead over Justin Allgaier. He would earn points simply by starting the race, and would even earn them if Kligerman replaced him in the car.
Zilisch has already demonstrated his ability to recover quickly this season. After a one-race absence at Texas Motor Speedway due to a back injury sustained in an accident at Talladega Superspeedway, Zilisch had achieved 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return.
