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NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Connor Zilisch Undergoes Surgery, Jokes About Scary Fall

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Connor Zilisch

Connor Zilisch is officially on the road to recovery from his nasty spill on Saturday in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International.

Zilisch, a Trackhouse Racing driver on loan to JR Motorsports for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, tumbled from the top of his race car to the ground after momentarily slipping as he celebrated in Victory Lane.

The accident, although terrifying to witness, could have produced a far worse outcome than the broken collarbone he suffered. On Tuesday, the 19-year-old driver went under the knife for his injury. And, later in the day, he shared about it on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

What Exactly Did Connor Zilisch Have Done For His Broken Collarbone?

Even after everything that’s happened in the last few days, Connor Zilisch seems to be in fairly good spirits. That is evident from his posts on X, including one about what his surgery entailed.

Zilisch admits, however, that his accident and the resulting injury have taken a mental toll on him.

Here’s his post-surgery update, which he shared on Tuesday afternoon. This is as real and authentic as it gets.

Teenager Manages To Crack A Couple Of Jokes On X In Spite Of Major Setback

Connor Zilisch remains the NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader after his win on Saturday at the Watkins Glen road course, where he dominated on the way to his sixth triumph of the season. All indications are that his surgery went well. But it remains to be seen whether Zilisch will miss any upcoming events in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

The teenager had been planning to compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at The Glen, making one of his several scheduled cameos for Trackhouse Racing this year. But that plan obviously did not come to fruition.

Thankfully for Zilisch, the Xfinity Series is in a rare off-week, so he won’t miss a race this Saturday. However, with the playoffs just around the corner, the timing of Zilisch’s injury is far from ideal. And depending on if or how quickly he is able to return this year, his championship aspirations could be in serious jeopardy.

At least the young Mooresville, North Carolina native is able to keep a good sense of humor about his frightening fall, which initially left him lying motionless on the ground. He later had to be placed on a stretcher and transported by ambulance to the Watkins Glen infield care center, before eventually heading to a local hospital.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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