Connor Zilisch injury update: JR Motorsports reveals status for NASCAR Xfinity race at Daytona

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 th e window net upon climbing out of his car, leading to the fall. 

Fortunately for Zilisch, he had an entire week off before Daytona. Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks said it would be a “group decision” in determining when Zilisch is ready to return. Despite what JRM said, Marks told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that Zilisch could be a “game-time decision” for Daytona.

“It’s a balance,” Marks said Monday. “It’s a balance between a 19-year-old kid who just wants to be in the race car and can’t stand not being in the race car and is capable of driving the race car right now. And the other side of that is we need to make a smart decision. What we can’t do is rush him back into the car, especially a place like Daytona, get in a wreck and then be worse off than we were before.

“So, it’s kind of a day-by-day deal right now. This will be a big week to see how his rehab goes and his comfort level and all that stuff. And it could end up being a game-time decision. I know that we all want him back in the race car. He wants to be back in the ra ce car. JRM wants him to be back in the race car. But we’ve got to make smart decisions, so I would just say, stay tuned on that one.”

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. Th e 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.