Connor Zilisch, the 19-year-old driver for JR Motorsports, recently spoke out about the Shane Van Gisbergen incident Watkins Glen during the Xfinity race. Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet car for Dale Earnhardt‘s JR Motorsports team, Zilisch was involved in a late-race collision with his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen with just 18 laps remaining. As Van Gisbergen tried to defend his position, the two drivers collided at Turn 7, sending Van Gisbergen crashing into the outside wall.
During an appearance on the Door Bumper Clear podcast with his spotter Josh Williams, Zilisch was questioned about whether the incident was intentional. He responded clearly, denying any deliberate action to wreck Van Gisbergen.
“Yeah, I did not. I did not do that on purpose like, if I wanted to wreck him, I would have. I had ten laps before, like I was doing literally everything in my power to try and pass him without touching him. And like I told Josh, I said ‘if I wrecked a guy, tell me like, don’t lie to me.'” —Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports driver
Victory Turns Painful as Zilisch Suffers Injury Celebrating Win at Watkins Glen
Although Zilisch secured an impressive victory at Watkins Glen, his celebrations took a dramatic and painful turn. While climbing out of his car in Victory Lane, he slipped and fell, suffering a fractured collarbone. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, and the injury immediately dashed his hopes of competing in the upcoming Cup Series race.
Despite the setback, Zilisch was seen trackside the next day at the Cup Series event with his arm in a sling, engaging in interviews and maintaining a positive outlook amid his discomfort.
Speaking to NBC reporter Dustin Long, Zilisch reflected on the mishap during his celebration:
“Yeah, I’ve definitely I’ve called myself a dummy more than once already, and yeah, if it was any worse I probably wouldn’t be joking, but, I take these things very light-hearted. It’s a very serious matter, but, I just try and stay positive through it all,” —Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports driver
Impact of Injury Forces Zilisch to Miss Final Cup Series Opportunity at Glen
The collarbone fracture ruled Zilisch out of the Go Bowling at Glen Cup Series, which would have been his last part-time start in the Cup Series. Instead of racing, he watched the event from the paddock, focusing on recovery and accepting the unfortunate turn of events.
“I can’t do anything about it at this at this point, except focus on my recovery moving forward. It helps to have people who are willing to joke with me, and I’m definitely not afraid of the jokes. I’m grateful that, like I said, it wasn’t any worse and I can move on from this and here walking around today,” —Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports driver
Following the incident, Zilisch’s father provided updates on his condition, reassuring fans of his progress. Despite the collision and injury, Zilisch’s determination and positivity underline his resilience as he recovers from this setback, while the Shane Van Gisbergen incident Watkins Glen remains a focal point of discussion within the racing community.
