A NASCAR driver suffered an awful injury while celebrating a recent win, resulting in a trip to the hospital.
Connor Zilisch’s victory at Watkins Glen was supposed to be a career highlight, but it soon took a turn.
The 19-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader claimed his series-leading sixth win of the 2025 season on Saturday, but moments later found himself on a stretcher after a celebration gone wrong.
After taking the checkered flag in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Zilisch climbed onto the roof in Victory Lane to salute the crowd, per the New York Post.
But as he raised his arms, his left foot appeared to snag in the window netting. He lost his balance and tumbled face-first onto the asphalt.
The fall was so jarring that The CW Network cut its live broadcast and went to a commercial break.
Witnesses say Zilisch lay motionless before medics rushed in, strapping him to a backboard and transporting him to the track’s medical center, then by ambulance to a hospital.
A few hours later, Zilisch posted an update on X: “Thank you everybody for reaching out today. 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 freak accident capped off an already dramatic day for the young driver. Zilisch started from pole but tangled with teammate Shane van Gisbergen on Lap 65 while fighting for the lead.
The contact sent the three-time Supercars champion slamming into the wall, destroying his No. 9 Chevrolet.
“Pretty gutted really,” van Gisbergen said afterward. “Pretty average way to end it.”
Despite the incident and briefly dropping to fifth on a restart, Zilisch charged back through the field, reclaiming the lead in the final four laps to secure his sixth Xfinity win of the season — and his seventh career victory in the series.
Crew chief Mardy Lindley praised his resilience on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “He did such a great job of getting back through the field and getting the lead. Praying for Connor right now that he’s OK. I think he’s going to be fine.”
This isn’t the first time Zilisch’s season has been interrupted by injury. Earlier this year, he missed a race at Texas Motor Speedway after a back injury from a crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
As for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen Cup Series race, no official update was given on whether he would compete, though with a broken collarbone, his participation seemed doubtful.
Still, Zilisch now has 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return earlier this season — making his rapid rise in NASCAR all the more remarkable, even if this latest celebration is one he’d probably like to forget.