NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone after falling from his vehicle in victory lane on Saturday, he said on social media. The Xfinity Series points leader had won his sixth race of the season at the Watkins Glen International race track in New York when the accident occurred.
After his victory, Zilisch was climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet to celebrate. A video of the moment shared by the racing news outlet Speedway Digest showed Zilisch slipping from the driver’s side window where he’d placed his left foot, apparently after catching it in window netting, before tumbling headfirst onto the ground below.
The 19-year-old Zilisch was taken on a backboard to the trackside medical center and then transported to a hospital for further evaluation, NASCAR said. The company added that he was “awake and alert” at the time.
Zilisch acknowledged the hard fall in a social media post shared several hours later.
“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.”
The driver thanked medical personnel “for quick attention” and said he was “grateful it wasn’t any worse.”
Trackhouse Racing withdrew the No. 87 Chevrolet that Zilisch had been scheduled to drive in the Cup race Sunday at Watkins Glen. Zilisch’s next Xfinity start is scheduled for Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
The scary incident capped an eventful day for Zilisch, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team.
After starting from the pole position, Zilisch wrecked teammate Shane van Gisbergen while battling for the lead on Lap 65. After being bumped from the lead to fifth on a restart, Zilisch retook first and led the final four laps.
“He did such a great job of getting back through the field and getting the lead,” crew chief Mardy Lindley told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race. “Praying for Connor right now that he’s OK. I think he’s going to be fine.”
Zilisch missed a race earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway after sustaining a back injury during a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. He has posted 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return.
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