Race car driver Connor Zilisch’s victory celebration took an unexpected turn at the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The 19-year-old athlete had just won the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International on Saturday (August 9) when things went terribly wrong in Victory Lane.
While celebrating on the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet, Connor slipped when his left foot got caught in the driver’s window and fell to the ground, according to ESPN.
The moment was caught on camera by CW Sports, which showed Connor climbing out of his driver’s window with a drink in hand, placing one foot on the ledge and the other on the roof before raising his arms in celebration. Seconds later, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, where he remained motionless before the clip cut away.
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“Connor Zilisch has been transported to a local hospital for further evaluation following today’s Xfinity Series race,” NASCAR shared in a statement on X, adding that the rising star “is awake and alert.”
Connor later revealed on X that he suffered a broken collarbone in the fall, but has since been released from the hospital.
“Thank you everybody for reaching out today,” he wrote. “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 scary moment happened as Connor was celebrating his series-leading sixth victory. Crew chief Mardy Lindley praised his performance, telling ESPN, “Praying for Connor right now that he’s OK. I think he’s going to be fine.”
Due to his injury, Connor will not compete in Sunday’s (August 10) Cup race at Watkins Glen, where he was scheduled to make his fourth Cup start of the season for Trackhouse Racing.
