WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Justin Marks says that Trackhouse Racing development driver Connor Zilisch is eyeing how he can continue to race for the Xfinity regular season title after suffering a broken left collarbone in a fall from his car in victory lane Saturday at Watkins Glen.
But Marks said when the 19-year-old returns to racing will be determined by many.
“It’s going to have to be a group decision,” Marks said of when Zilisch will race after he is medically cleared. “It’s going to have to be sponsors, Chevrolet, the team, taking care of his development, taking care of him as a human and as an athlete, and then keeping his motivations high and making sure he knows he’s got a group of people behind him that are supportive of him.”
The Xfinity Series is off next weekend. The next race in the series is Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
Connor Zilisch talked to NBC Sports about his injury.
But does it make sense for Zilisch to return for that race even if medically cleared? With the high speeds and chances for hard impacts in a crash — Zilisch suffered a lower back injury in a crash at Talladega in the spring and missed a race — it might be best for Zilisch to skip that race.
The question then would be if it makes sense for Zilisch to return in the regular season and just come back in the playoffs, which start Sept. 12 at Bristol. That would give Zilisch extra time to recover. While that might seem as coddling to some, Zilisch has the potential to make a major impact at Trackhouse Racing for more than two decades. A couple of missed Xfinity races isn’t going to change that trajectory.
“It’s an important question,” Marks said of when Zilisch should return “because he’s a huge asset and he’s a huge part of the future of the business.
“We have to approach that as such and make sure that we’re not hurting any long-term opportunities by taking advantage of a short-term opportunity.”
Zilisch ‘feeling okay’ after fall in victory lane
Connor Zilisch is “feeling okay” after falling from his car in Xfinity Series victory lane at Watkins Glen and hopes to return to the race car at Daytona with the series off next weekend.
Whenever Zilisch returns to race, teammate Shane van Gisbergen — who won Sunday’s Cup race at Watkins Glen — can provide counsel. Van Gisbergen broke his left collarbone and had other shoulder damage in 2021 that required a plate to be inserted. The Supercars series had a weekend off and then raced the next weekend with van Gisbergen was back in the car.
“My biggest problem was the tightening of the belts,” van Gisbergen said with his injury. “I could really feel the plate through the skin and it was a horrible feeling. But yeah, I raced the next week and did pretty well.”
The Trackhouse Racing driver earned his fourth consecutive victory on a road or street course.
Zilisch told NBC Sports: “I don’t think I’ll be that quick, but it certainly is an injury that can heal quicker than maybe some other bones in the body.”
“So grateful for that, grateful that my head’s Ok, my legs are Ok. Definitely scary for me and everybody who saw it.”
Zilisch lost his balance as he stood on the door of his car in victory lane and fell Saturday.
“I remember, I got up on the car and I put my leg on the window net on the door and as soon as they started spraying water, it just kind of started to slide and I lost my footing,” Zilisch told NBC Sports. “I remember my legs split the door, I had one outside the door, one in the door and that’s when I started to tumble. The last thing I remember was thinking I was going to break my leg.”
With Zilisch injured, Trackhouse Racing decided to withdraw his car instead of putting another driver in the No. 87 car Sunday.
“I think we talked about some different scenarios, but I think at the end of the day, Red Bull speaks loudly,” Marks said of the move not to race the car. “They’re the one that’s paying the bill.
“We all kind of pow-wowed late last night to talk about it, and ultimately just because of the relationships, the partners, because that program is about Connor, I think the best thing was to not dilute that program and that sponsorship and Connor as an athlete by putting somebody else in the car. And I had left my helmet at home.”
