Why Connor Zilisch isn’t racing in the Watkins Glen Cup race? Latest update on NASCAR phenom after Xfinity celebration accident

Connor Zilisch will not take part in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen after the 19-year-old suffered a fall during his post-race victory celebrations. He had won the Mission 200 At The Glen after starting from pole position, but the post-race rave for the No. 88 crew quickly turned dark as he fell from his car and broke his collarbone.

The Charlotte-born driver is often regarded as one of the young proteges within the stock car racing realm. He had won six races in the Xfinity series field, where he races full-time in the 2025 season, with his latest win coming at the 2.45-mile track.

Though his race was not flawless, the 19-year-old went on to win Stage 2 and took the chequered flag on the final lap to position himself as the favorite for the regular season championship finale soon coming up. Zilisch was joyous with his achievement after leading 60 of the 82 laps, and went over to celebrate in the victory lane alongside his crew.

However, these celebrations quickly took a dark turn as he soon lost his balance after climbing out of the car. With his foot seemingly stuck inside the car, he went face-first onto the concrete.

The teenager then lay there motionless, before the medical staff quickly got hold of him and rushed him to the hospital. He then gave an update on his health, as he suffered a fracture in his collarbone:

"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.❤️"

Connor Zilisch

@ConnorZilisch

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.❤️

With the No. 87 driver not in a condition to continue racing into the weekend, Trackhouse Racing released a team statement confirming that Zilisch will not participate in the Cup Series race on Sunday at Watkins Glen International:

"Trackhouse Racing has elected to withdraw the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet from tomorrow's NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. We wish Connor a speedy recovery."

Connor Zilisch was slated to make his fourth Cup Series race start, but the teenager will now have to wait to get behind the wheel of a Cup Series car.

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How will Connor Zilisch's incident impact him in the NASCAR sphere?

Connor Zilisch after winning the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Watkins Glen - Source: Imagn

Connor Zilisch was aiming to compete in all three NASCAR series at Watkins Glen. He had claimed a top-10 finish in the Truck race and won the Xfinity race a day later. But his fall in the victory lane meant that he was ruled out of the premier race on Sunday.

While this would be upsetting for Zilisch, he has bigger things to worry about. With only three race weekends in the regular Xfinity series season, his fall could rule him out in the following race weekends if he is not declared fit to race.

This would help his rivals claw back some points on him as he only has a seven-point advantage over Justin Allgaier currently. On the other hand, the next Xfinity Series race will take place at Daytona, with a week's break in between, allowing Connor Zilisch to get some much-needed rest, as no timeline has been shared regarding his comeback to the field.