Connor Zilisch, the NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader, picked up another win on Saturday but his celebrations quickly came to an unexpected end when he broke his collarbone slipping off his car.
The 19-year-old driver was climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet car to celebrate his latest victory at Watkins Glen International in New York but as he attempted to move, his left foot apparently got caught on the window netting.
Zilisch then tumbled awkwardly and took a hard fall onto Victory Lane.
Following the fall, Zilisch lay still on the floor before being surrounded by those in close proximity. The driver was taken to the trackside medical center and transported to a local hospital in an ambulance for further evaluation.
Zilisch later shared news of his injuries on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Thank you everybody for reaching out today. I’m out of the hospital and getting better already,” Zilisch posted Saturday evening.
“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.”
Zilisch leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series with 823 points – seven points clear of Justin Allgaier in second. Zilisch has won a series-leading six races this season.
