American professional racing driver Connor Zilisch broke his collarbone in a scary moment as he fell off his car while celebrating his first place finish in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen.
The 19-year-old won the Mission 200 at The Glen, marking his sixth victory of the 2025 season with four wins in his last five races. Zilisch certainly had reason to celebrate. Unfortunately, things went sideways without warning.
Zilisch climbed out his driver side window ("Dukes of Hazzard" style), then stood up with his right foot on the top of the car and his left foot on the base of the open window. It was a bit of a dangerous position to be standing in, and sure enough, his left foot slipped into the driver's seat throwing him off-balance. He tried to recover, but with his left foot stuck inside the car, the rest of his body fell hard on the pavement.
19-year-old NASCAR star Connor Zilisch broke his collarbone getting out of his car to celebrate his victory pic.twitter.com/7FG95KUObK
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 10, 2025
Zilisch lay motionless for a few seconds before people came to tend to him. He was transported to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken collarbone. Watching the video, that could have been a lot worse, especially if he hit his head.
We have seen athletes injure themselves while celebrating many times before, but this would be the first time we have seen it happen to a race car driver. Like we always say, it's best to keep your feet on the ground while celebrating.
Zilisch was supposed to race again on Sunday, but obviously he will have to skip it due to his injury. We wish him the best for a speedy recovery. In the meantime, he still the points leader in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
