Connor Zilisch has surgery on broken collarbone
'Wanted to give everyone a quick update,' Zilisch said on social media. 'Had surgery on my collarbone this morning to get a plate and screws to help with the healing process. Been a tough few days for me mentally, but all the love you guys have shown has certainly helped. Thank you.'
Dustin Long,
The 19-year-old Zilisch was injured when he fell off his car in victory lane after winning last weekend's Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen.
Zilisch leads the points in the Xfinity Series with three races left in the regular season. The series is off this weekend. The next Xfinity race will be Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
No timetable has been given on when Zilisch will return. While he drives for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, he is a development driver for Trackhouse Racing.
Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, addressed last weekend at Watkins Glen what will go into the decision on when Zilisch will return.
'It's going to have to be a group decision,' Marks said in response to a question from NBC Sports. '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.'
When asked if it made sense for Zilisch to skip the final three races of the regular season before returning for the playoffs, Marks said: 'It's an important question 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.'
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