Connor Zilisch has been released from the hospital and is on the mend after a scary post-race accident in NASCAR Xfinity Series victory lane at Watkins Glen on Saturday night
Connor Zilisch has revealed he suffered a broke collarbone after falling during his Watkins Glen win celebration(Image: Icon Sportswire, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Connor Zilisch, a 19-year-old JR Motorsports driver and F1 hopeful, has been discharged from the hospital following a scary post-race accident at the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday night at Watkins Glen.
Zilisch had just won Mission 200, beating Sam Mayer by 2.326 seconds, when his celebration took a dangerous turn. As he climbed out of his No. 88 Chevrolet to stand on the roof, his crew doused him with a liquid from what seemed to be a water bottle while cheering for their victorious driver.
However, the celebration quickly turned sour as Zilisch slipped on the slick surface, hooked his leg on part of the cockpit, lost his balance, and crashed onto the checkered flooring below.
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JR Motorsports confirmed at 9:16 p.m. ET that Zilisch had been discharged from the hospital, two hours after announcing he had been taken in for further checks.
In a statement on X, Zilisch expressed his gratitude to fans and competitors for their concern.
“Thank you, everybody, for reaching out today. I’m out of the hospital and getting better already,” he wrote.
“Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear; I just have a broken collarbone. Thankful to all the medics for their quick attention, and I’m grateful it wasn’t worse.”
Zilisch’s accident took place after he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 race (Image: Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
Starting from the pole position, Zilisch outmaneuvered street-racing expert Shane van Gisbergen early on, built a 3.8-second lead over William Sawalich by halfway through, and survived a Lap 74 pileup that involved more than a dozen cars, including those of Jesse Love, Kaz Grala, and Ryan Sieg. He led for 60 of the 92 laps and clocked the fastest lap of the day at 72.84 seconds.
Now, his broken collarbone puts his postseason participation in question as he was slated to compete in three events over the weekend.
According to WebMD, most fractures take between 6 to 12 weeks to heal, which would mean a best-case scenario return around Sept. 20, just a week before the Kansas Lottery 300.
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In a worst-case scenario, based on the website’s standards, Zilisch could be back in late October, potentially missing the entire Round of 12. He secured a playoff spot with six wins and received a medical waiver for a separate injury from his crash at Talladega.
Trackhouse Racing announced that Zilisch, who was set to race for the team in the Cup Series race on Sunday, will not be behind the wheel during the race.
They also announced the withdrawal of the No. 87 car from the race while wishing Zilisch a speedy recovery.
Team Trackhouse will have Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suarez racing. The Go Bowling at the Glen is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on USA Network.