NASCAR rookie Connor Zilisch will not drive Sunday in the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International after breaking his collarbone when he fell off his car on Saturday.
The 19-year-old won the Mission 200 at The Glen Xfinity Series race and climbed out of his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to celebrate. He had one foot on the hood and one on the ledge of the window and was posing for photographs when he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, head-first.
He was taken off the track on a backboard and to the hospital via ambulance.
Later Saturday night, Zilisch took to social media and said he did not have a head injury as feared.
“Thank you everybody for reaching out today. I’m out of the hospital and getting better already,” he posted to X. “Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear, I just have a broken collarbone. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn’t any worse.”
The win was the sixth of the season for Zilisch. He was due to drive in the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday afternoon, but Trackhouse Racing announced that Zilisch’s No. 87 Chevrolet had been withdrawn.
NASCAR confirmed he was “awake and alert” as he was receiving medical attention.
Zilisch had a busy weekend planned at New York’s Watkins Glen. He finished eighth on Friday in the Truck Series competition and qualified 25th for the Cup Series race.
It is expected Zilisch, a North Carolina native, will move full-time to the Cup Series in 2026.
–Field Level Media
