Connor Zilisch injury update: NASCAR star reveals diagnosis following hospital release

In what was a very physical race, 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch won again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen on Saturday. Zilisch won at The Glen last year in his debut. With the win, he picked up his seventh career win and the sixth of the season.

Disaster struck post-race however, as Zilisch slipped and fell from the top of his car while celebrating in victory lane. He was subsequently placed on a backboard, loaded into an ambulance and taken to a medical center.

Just minutes after JM Motorsports tweeted that he had been released from the hospital Saturday night, Zilisch sent out a tweet revealing his diagnosis.

“Thank you everybody for reaching out today,” Zilisch said. “I’m out of the hospital and getting better already. 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.”

The fall was terrifying to watch. Zilisch was standing on his car as he normally does after a win, but he was noticeably shaky as he stood up. When he came down, his foot got caught in his seat, causing him to fall in an awkward position. 

So quickly, things went from happy celebrations to worry and concern. Connor Zilisch is the hottest young driver in the sport. No one wants to see this happen to any driver, especially after a big win.

You immediately think about a concussion in these situations, but that is fortunately not the case. He did however suffer a broken collarbone, which usually takes six-to-12 weeks to fully heal.

Saturday’s race was highlighted by Zilisch’s massive hit of teammate Shane van Gisbergen late in the race. As Zilisch began to beat down the bumper of SVG for the lead, Austin Hill re-entered the picture and put immense pressure on Zilisch. This increased his desire to pass Gisbergen, which would end up cutting SVG’s day short.

Zilisch has six wins this season. This was his fourth win in five races. Just a few weeks ago, Zilisch was in the middle of a three-race win streak. Following today’s win, he’s in a much more dire position. Everyone in the NASCAR community is thinking of the 19-year-old as he now deals with this unfortunate situation.