Connor Zilisch is set to start Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona less than two weeks after breaking his collarbone in a fall from atop his car.
Zilisch tripped while climbing on top of his car in victory lane to celebrate his win at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10. Zilisch’s foot slipped and he fell headfirst onto the ground before he was quickly tended to by medical personnel and taken away on a gurney.
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But JR Motorsports announced Friday that Zilisch was cleared to race. He will qualify his car for Friday night’s race and attempt to race with former Xfinity Series driver and current TV analyst Parker Kligerman on standby if needed.
Zilisch had surgery on his left collarbone in the days after the fall. He joked after his surgery that he was given a fall risk bracelet at the hospital. The Xfinity Series was off last weekend.
The 19-year-old is atop the Xfinity Series points standings with six wins in 22 races. He’s seven points ahead of teammate Justin Allgaier despite starting one fewer race. Zilisch suffered a back injury in a head-on crash while racing for the lead in the waning laps at Talladega in the spring and missed the next race at Texas. That crash risk makes it reasonable to wonder if there’s a chance Kligerman will get in the car on Friday night at some point simply for precautionary reasons.
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Zilisch is also widely expected to be announced as a full-time Cup Series driver sooner rather than later. He has a contract with Trackhouse Racing and the team hasn’t yet announced its third driver for 2026 after it became known that Daniel Suarez was leaving the team at the end of the season.
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