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Rising NASCAR star Connor Zilisch was taken to a medical facility Saturday after winning the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International. Zilisch, 19, was injured after falling from the window of his vehicle while celebrating a race win.
In a scary scene, Zilisch lost his balance while exiting the vehicle. His leg then got caught awkwardly in the window as he attempted to catch himself, sending him crashing to the ground and unable to brace himself.
Zilisch, who won his sixth race of the season and took over the solo lead of the series points standings, was responsive as medical professionals approached him, but he was struggling to move and could not get to his feet.
Connor Zilisch falls from his car after celebrating a victory at NASCAR Xfinity Watkins Glen pic.twitter.com/TEI8JmgHbc
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NASCAR Xfinity Star Connor Zilisch Was Already Dealing With A Major Back Injury
Zilisch, who races for Jr. Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., already missed a race earlier in the season while recovering from a back injury he sustained during a hard wreck at Talladega Superspeedway.
Since returning from the injury, he’s won five times and added a pair of runner-up finishes.
He’s Considered The Big NASCAR Superstar
Zilisch originally signed with Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing at 17 years old and immediately showed why he was so highly coveted.
Ironically, Zilisch won in his first career Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen one year ago. This year, as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, he’s running away with the Rookie of the Year race and is considered one of the favorites to win a series championship.
While it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s widely expected that Zilisch will move to the Cup Series next year and race full-time for Trackhouse in place of the departing Daniel Suarez.
Zilsich ran three races for Trackhouse already this season, with a career-best finish of 11th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was expected to run his fourth race for the team in tomorrow’s Cup Series event at Watkins Glen. But now that seems unlikely following the shocking injury. Zilisch qualified 25th for the Cup Series race on Saturday morning.
UPDATE: NBC Sports motorsports writer Dustin Long reports that Zilisch did sit up while in the ambulance after being taken out of victory lane. However, he remains in the infield care center at the track at the time of writing.