Connor Zilisch is currently slated to compete in Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway. JR Motorsports notified NASCAR.com‘s Zach Sturniolo of Zilisch’s status on Monday.
Zilisch, 19, is recovering from surgery to repair his broken collarbone. He sustained the injury following the Aug. 9 race at Watkins Glen International after falling off the top of his car while celebrating in Victory Lane. Zilisch appeared to get his left foot stuck in the window net upon climbing out of his car, leading to the fall.
Fortunately for Zilisch, he had an entire week off before Daytona. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said it would be a “group decision” in determining when Zilisch is ready to return, and it appears he won’t be missing any time after all.
Connor Zilisch chasing regular season title
That’s exactly what JRM/Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen figured would be the case. Van Gisbergen broke his collarbone in a mountain bike accident in 2021 and returned to racing just two weeks after the incident. When van Gisbergen learned of Zilisch’s diagnosis, he immediately reached out. He always believed it was possible for Zilisch to return at Daytona.
“My injury was probably worse than his. I did like my AC [joint] and three ribs as well on a mountain bike accident and then I had one week off and raced the next week, which is exactly what he’s got. He’s got Richmond off and then Daytona, so he should be fine,” van Gisbergen said on the Dale Jr. Download. “Your collarbone — it’s probably the best major bone you can break. You bolt it together and it’s stronger than it was. The hardest thing is putting on the belts. You feel the bolts in the collarbone through the belts and it’s just irritating and annoying.
“But yeah, he could — if it’s just the collarbone — he could race at Daytona or even this weekend. … I did that, broke my collarbone and raced the next race. I raced for three or four months and when we had a break, I took the plate out again and it was brand new. He can be fine. That was horrible to see. Initially, I thought he had done his knee or his ankle. Luckily, collarbone is a relatively OK bone to break.”
Zilisch is the Xfinity Series points leader after his victory at Watkins Glen, his sixth of the season. He holds a seven-point advantage over teammate Justin Allgaier in the race for the regular season championship.
