Connor Zilisch will not be competing in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen.
The 19-year-old rising star has been ruled out of what was scheduled to be his fourth start at NASCAR’s top level, after suffering a broken collarbone in an off-track incident immediately after Saturday’s Xfinity Series competition.
Zilisch was able to capture a dominant victory in the Mission 200 at The Glen, but upon climbing from his No. 88 Registix Chevrolet in Victory Lane, he got his leg stuck in the side window and slipped off his racecar, falling hard onto the ground below.
After hitting the ground and not getting up immediately, medics rushed to Zilisch’s aid, where it was eventually decided that he would be stretchered to the infield care center and eventually transported to a local hospital.
“Thank you, everybody, for reaching out today,” a statement from Zilisch reads. “I’m out of the hospital and getting better already. 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.”
Trackhouse Racing, which fields the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet, that Zilisch was scheduled to drive in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International, has decided to withdraw the entry from the event.
“Trackhouse Racing has elected to withdraw the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet from tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International,” the team’s statement reads. “We wish Connor [Zilisch] a speedy recovery.”
Zilisch will now turn his focus to healing himself for the next event in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which will take place at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, August 22. Neither Zilisch nor JR Motorsports has made any declaration of whether the Mooresville, North Carolina-native will compete in the event.
The No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet was originally scheduled to roll from 25th in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen — which will take place at 2:00 pm ET on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
