The 19-year-old driver fell off his car while celebrating his seventh total career win.
WATKINS GLEN, New York — Connor Zilisch, the 19-year-old JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series driver making waves in the motorsport world, announced he fractured his collarbone after a mishap while celebrating his race win on Saturday.
The incident happened shortly after the Mission 200 At The Glen in New York.
Following the race, Zilisch exited through the driver window and perched on the car door amid celebratory sprays. He lost balance and fell, hitting the ground head first. Video footage suggests his foot might have caught in the window net that was dangling from the side of the door.
He didn’t immediately get up after the fall, but was seen on camera slightly moving.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out today. I’m out of the hospital and on the mend. Thankfully, the CT scans for my head are clear, and I have only a broken collarbone,” Zilisch shared on social media. “I’m grateful for the medics’ quick response and thankful that it wasn’t more serious.”
CBS Sports reported that Zilisch needed medical attention and was transported on a stretcher from Victory Lane. According to an NBC sports reporter present at the scene, he left in an ambulance while sitting up and conversing with medical staff.
Sports Illustrated noted that he was initially checked at the infield care center, then transferred to the hospital. NASCAR confirmed that he was “awake and alert” during his hospital stay.
A Fox Sports reporter says Zilisch’s father, Jim, said his son is “not in any danger.”
Zilisch drives the No. 88 Chevrolet full-time for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Saturday’s win marks his fourth in the last five races and his seventh total career win. CBS Sports calls him “perhaps NASCAR’s brightest young star.”
He is also set to run a limited Cup Series schedule with Trackhouse Racing in the No. 87 Chevrolet on Sunday after qualifying 25th, but it’s unclear if he will drive.
