Connor Zilisch’s tumble in victory lane after his Watkins Glen Xfinity Series win turned into one of the scariest post-race accidents in recent memory, leaving him with a broken collarbone. It wasn’t just the fans who felt the shock. Zilisch himself admitted that it rattled him, though his father, Jim Zilisch, made sure he was fine before good-naturedly poking fun at him.
Advertisement
The mishap came when a misstep during his celebration sent him crashing to the ground. With one foot on the driver’s window, the net resting on the same sill, and the other on the roof, he slipped on the wet surface, caught his foot in the window net, and hit the pavement hard.
On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Zilisch recalled the first thought that flashed through his mind mid-fall. “The last thing I remember is thinking, I don’t know why, but I thought I was going to break my femur. Like my leg was stuck. I thought I was going to get caught in the headrest, and I thought I was done.”
When he regained consciousness on the stretcher, he realized he’d been rambling to the medics. “I was talking to the medics and I was like, ‘I’m good. I’m good. My shoulder hurts a little bit, but that’s it. I’m fine,'” he said, noting how quickly he began to feel better. Then came the line he remembers most.
“Apparently, the first thing, the first words that came out of my mouth that were legitimate were, ‘God, everyone’s going to think I’m a p***y.’ ‘Cause I was like, ‘Why am I on a stretcher right now? I feel fine.’ I didn’t realize what had happened,” Zilisch concluded.
The fall may have ended more than just his celebration; it seemingly killed the standing-on-the-car routine for others. At the airport, a fellow NASCAR driver told him their competition director had announced a new rule during a pre-race meeting to ban the move.
Grateful the damage wasn’t worse, Zilisch still hated missing Sunday’s Cup race at The Glen, where he was supposed to start P25 and chase a strong finish for Trackhouse. His team is now consulting doctors on the next steps, with the 19-year-old facing a tight two-week window to heal before his Xfinity return at Daytona. Missing that race would mark his second stint on the sidelines this season after a back injury at Talladega earlier in the year.
As of now, Zilisch remains atop the Xfinity Series standings for JR Motorsports, with six wins in 22 starts and a planned but unannounced Cup Series debut in 2026 with Trackhouse Racing. With his championship hopes hinging on the next two weeks, his recovery is critical.
While doctors will soon set a clearer recovery schedule, Trackhouse owner Justin Marks confirmed that discussions involving the team, sponsors, and Zilisch have yet to happen. He emphasized, however, that as a long-term cornerstone for the organization, Zilisch’s future will take precedence over any short-term push.
