Connor Zilisch, a 19-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports, has undergone a successful surgery on his left collarbone, getting a plate and screws inserted to help speed up the healing process.
Zilisch posted an update to social media, revealing that he had undergone surgery on Tuesday (August 12) morning.
“Wanted to give everyone a quick update. Had surgery on my collarbone this morning to get a plate and screws to help with the healing process. Been a tough few days for me mentally, but all the love you guys have shown has certainly helped. Thank you.”
The Mooresville, North Carolina-native suffered a broken left collarbone on Saturday, following a NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Watkins Glen International.
Zilisch was celebrating his sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of 2025 at Watkins Glen in New York when his leg got caught while celebrating on top of his car in Victory Lane, causing him to fall hard onto the ground.
Members of the racetrack’s medical team rushed to help a clearly injured Zilisch, who didn’t immediately get back up, before they loaded him up on a stretcher and brought him to the infield care center.
The JR Motorsports driver was eventually transported to a local hospital, where a doctor saw all of his CT scans come back clear, and that the extent of his injuries included a broken collarbone.
Zilisch was originally scheduled to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series event the next afternoon, but due to the injury, Trackhouse Racing decided to withdraw the No. 87 Chevrolet.
At this time, there is no timeline for Zilisch to return to competition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with the series’ next event scheduled to happen two weeks from now at Daytona International Speedway.
It is unknown if Zilisch will be eligible to compete in the event, or if he will want to take the chance. Earlier this season, the 19-year-old phenom was injured in a last-lap crash at Talladega Superspeedway, which saw him forced to be sidelined for a week.
Since the incident on Saturday, Zilisch has been able to have a sense of humor around the entire situation, posting on social media that “it’s gonna be tough to make a comeback from this generational aura debt.”
Now that I know I’ll be alright, it’s gonna be tough to make a comeback from this generational aura debt. Dang, at least I won? https://t.co/pPndMH6Cor
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) August 12, 2025
After posting his surgery update, Zilisch also added another post, which shows him wearing a wristband that says “FALL RISK”.
2 Responses
Maybe it’s best if drivers just exit the car and not stand on roof or widow sills anymore. Conner is great driver for JR and Trackhouse. Hated to see that fall live. It hurt me to see it happen. Hope he heals fast to compete in the play offs. He has great future, if he stays healthy!!!!
I,ve often wondered why they let drivers get on top of their cars, as it’s an accident waiting to happen. Some drivers have added to that by taking their kids up there. With all the liquids being sprayed around it’s bound to get slick.