Connor Zilisch in good spirits after surgery for victory lane fall injury
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch is in good spirits after undergoing surgery to repair a broken collarbone sustained in a fall in victory lane at Watkins Glen.
Zilisch confirmed he had surgery Tuesday morning and also posted a statement to social media.
“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,” Zilisch said.
Zilisch had a sense of humor about the surgery. He posted a picture of a “Fall Risk” wristband he received due to getting anesthesia at the hospital.
A day before the surgery, Zilisch appeared on the podcast, “Door Bumper Clear”. He talked about everything leading up to the victory lane fall.
“It’s been a lot of texts, a lot of… Publicity,” he said on ‘DBC’. “The last thing I remember I was split on the door, one leg out the door, one leg outside the door. I thought I was gonna break my femur, I thought I was done,” Zilisch said. “I guess the first thing I said when I was… resurrected… talking to the medics, telling them ‘I’m good, I’m good’. And they were like, ‘No, we’re gonna load you on a stretcher’.
“I guess the first words that came out of my mouth were, ‘Gosh everyone’s gonna think I’m a p-ssy.'”
Zilisch recalled asking an important question once he fully came to.
“Did you guys at least take your pictures in victory lane? They’re like, ‘No’ and I was like what the heck?” Zilisch said.
Trackhouse Racing got in on the fun when Shane van Gisbergen won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. The team captioned a video of SVG getting out of the car in victory lane as “CAREFULLY CLIMBING OUT IN VICTORY LANE!!”
It’s unclear how long Zilisch will race Aug. 22 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona after the injury.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com