Connor Zilisch’s road to recovery has taken a step forward, with the 19-year-old NASCAR prodigy having undergone surgery on a broken collarbone on Tuesday.

The Xfinity Series leader and driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet suffered the bone break as he celebrated his win at Watkins Glen on Saturday. After climbing out of the window of his car and up onto the roof to celebrate, his leg slipped back into the cockpit, causing him to fall.

Strechered away and transported to a local hospital, Zilisch was cleared of any head injuries, although his left collarbone was less fortunate. Luckily for the youngster, this may not derail his title chase, with teammate Shane van Gisbergen having given an insight into his own experience racing shortly after breaking his collarbone in 2021.

Fast forward to Tuesday, Zilisch, who has six race wins this season, including four in the last five races, took to social media to update his fans, having recently undergone surgery. “Wanted to give everyone a quick update,” he wrote.

“Had surgery on my collarbone this morning to get a plate and screws to help with the healing process. Been a tough few days for me mentally, but all the love you guys have shown has certainly helped. Thank you.”

While it would be easy for Zilisch’s spirits to be low given the circumstances, including the fact that his injury caused him to miss a valuable Cup Series start for Trackhouse Racing, the Red Bull-sponsored athlete and Formula 1 hopeful was able to see the funny side of things.

In a separate social media post, he shared a photo of his hospital wrist band reading “Fall Risk,” captioning the snap, “The bracelet I got in the hospital this morning bc of anesthesia. Can’t make this stuff up.”

This came after Zilisch detailed the incident on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, where he revealed his equally hilarious immediate response to realizing the severity of his injury following his fall. While he had been “talking gibberish” to the medics, “The first words that came out of my mouth that were legitimate were, ‘God, everyone’s going to think I’m a p—-y.’ Cause I was like, ‘Why am I on a stretcher right now? I feel fine.’ I didn’t realize what had happened.”

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Exactly when Zilisch could return behind the wheel remains unclear. However, the Xfinity Series is not set to race again until the Wawa 250 at Daytona on August 22.

Now with a plate in place, if van Gisbergen’s experiences are any sign of what is to come for Zilisch, a return at Daytona could be on the cards. “Once the plate is in there, it’s stronger than the bone was,” the New Zealander, who won Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, explained.

“I’d get a plate put in and then take it out at the end of the year. It is obviously going to be in pain.

“My biggest problem was the tightening of the belts. I could really feel the plate through my skin, and it was a horrible feeling. But I raced the next week and did pretty well. So, with some good doctors and some good drugs, he’ll get through the race fine.”