Connor Zilisch said on Monday’s “Door Bumper Clear” podcast that his broken collarbone is something that could require surgery. Zilisch, who suffered the injury Saturday after falling from the top of his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International, added that undergoing surgery “speeds up the process” in recovery. “I think it might be […]
Connor Zilisch said on Monday’s “Door Bumper Clear” podcast that his broken collarbone is something that could require surgery. Zilisch, who suffered the injury Saturday after falling from the top of his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International, added that undergoing surgery “speeds up the process” in recovery.
“I think it might be something that I might have to get surgery for,” Zilisch said. “But in this case, I think surgery is something that speeds up the process, so you can get plates and screws and get it reconstructed back together. Shane [van Gisbergen] talked about it — he had an injury in 2021 and broke his collarbone — he had plates, screws, everything done and he was racing back the next weekend. Thankfully, the collarbone is a relatively quick bone to fix and heal.”
Zilisch, 19, was supposed to compete in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. As a result of his injury, Trackhouse Racing withdrew the No. 87 car from the race.
Zilisch is the Xfinity Series points leader after his victory at Watkins Glen. The Xfinity Series is off next weekend before returning Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway. Zilisch has already missed one race this season due to a back injury. He told Marty Snider of TNT Sports that there is no timetable yet for a return, but he’s motivated to make it back “as soon as possible.”
“We’re still working out with all the doctors to figure out what’s gonna be the next steps,” Zilisch said Sunday. “But I’ve got a little motivation from Shane [van Gisbergen], my teammate, he had a plate put in and raced the weekend after. So, I don’t know if I’ll be that quick but hopefully my young bones will heal fast, and I’ll be able to get back in it as soon as possible.”
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said it will be a “group decision” in determining when it’s time for Zilisch to return: “I think it’s a discussion that we all have to have. We haven’t really talked about much, obviously, since yesterday, but in the little bit that we’ve discussed in some of the quiet moments over the last 24 hours, it’s going to have to be a group decision.
“It’s going to have to be sponsors, Chevrolet, the team, taking care of his development, taking care of him as a human and as an athlete, and then keeping his motivations high and making sure he knows he’s got a group of people behind him that are supportive of him.”
Category: General Sports
