Brad Keselowski Laughs at Connor Zilisch's Hard Fall after Xfinity Victory
NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski laughed at Connor Zilisch's fall, which occurred when Zilisch was celebrating his victory at Watkins Glen International last weekend. The 19-year-old driver suffered from a broken collarbone and recently underwent surgery to expedite his recovery for a racing return.
The incident occurred when Zilisch had just climbed atop his car, only to slip and fall headfirst. The event made headlines over the past week due to its severity. However, Keselowski found humor in Zilisch's fall, stating that he experienced falls in the past. When asked ahead of the race at Richmond if he planned on climbing on top of his car if he won the race, the 2012 NASCAR Cup champion said:
"Probably not. I think I'll just grab my American flag and stand outside of it. But man, that was sure scary. I called Adam Alexander [NASCAR commentator] yesterday because now that we know Connor's okay, it is one of the funniest damn videos I've ever seen in my life. And we've all had our, you know, moments.
"The funniest part to me was Adam just saying, 'Oh my god, he fell.' And my wife and I, we've had a lot of fun with that. But, you do this sport long enough, you're bound to have a moment that you wish you could have back. And, I've got quite a few of them, and Connor got his first one."
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Castrol Ford, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Castrol Ford, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico.Zilisch gave an update recently after undergoing surgery. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
"Wanted to give everyone a quick update. 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."
Due to the injury, Zilisch was unable to race the next day in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing. It remains to be seen if he can return for the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway next weekend. Addressing the topic of his racing return, Trackhouse's team owner Justin Marks said:
"I think it's a discussion that we all have to have. We haven't really talked about much, obviously, since yesterday, but in the little bit that we've discussed in some of the quiet moments over the last 24 hours, it's going to have to be a group decision.
"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."
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Connor Zilisch waves to the crowd after the win during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at the Glen Zilisch, a 19-year-old driver who leads the Xfinity standings for JR Motorsports and who is set to move to Cup next season as the soon-to-be-announced replacement of Daniel Suarez at Trackhouse Racing, feels lucky he wasn't more seriously injured in the Aug. 9 incident. ADVERTISEMENT The fall occurred when he had one foot on the driver's window sill and one foot on the roof. He had not tucked the window net (the driver's side does not have a window installed but instead a mesh net used to keep debris out but can be quickly unhooked for the driver exit). When the team doused him with water after he got out of the car, his foot slipped on the net and he fell hard to the ground. He indicated he was briefly knocked unconscious. Zilisch had surgery on Tuesday. The Xfinity Series had the Richmond weekend off and Zilisch's status for this upcoming weekend's race at Daytona is still to be determined. RFK Racing driver and co-owner Brad Keselowski said he won't tell his drivers how to celebrate. Connor Zilisch takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International "I'm not looking to be the car police on what you can and can't do," Keselowski said. "It certainly was an interesting moment. That's something I've never seen before." Keselowski, who once sliced his hand open when he accidentally broke a champagne bottle in victory lane, said he probably won't stand on his car. "I think I'll just grab my American flag and stand outside of it," Keselowski said. "But man, that was sure scary. The video ... because now that we know Connor is OK, it's one of the funniest damn videos I've ever seen in my life. "We've all had our moments." While Keselowski sounds like he will watch the video for laughs, one driver who won't watch it is Christopher Bell. "I didn't watch it," Bell said. "Obviously, it broke the internet. I heard about it and all my friends are texting me, like, 'Oh my gosh, did you see this?' And they're sending me the video of it. "I can't open it. I won't watch it. That's too grueling. I'm not going to watch." Bell said he doesn't watch any accident — on the track or off the track — if someone gets injured. He said he will learn about what caused it and any preventative measures to take, but he doesn't need to watch it. And he also doesn't need anyone to tell him that he shouldn't climb atop the car. "No one's told me that, but I can promise you, I've done my last car stand for a while," Bell said. "That's for sure. That's just so eye-opening and scary. And it's bad. It's really bad." NASCAR seems more than willing to leave it up to the drivers. It does not want drivers to jump up-and-down on top of the car after a race because of the potential that it would have on the integrity of the car before it goes through post-race technical inspection. But if a driver wants to put a foot on the roof or climb up on top, that's fine. Drivers obviously like the freedom to have that choice. Chase Elliott, who once broke his leg snowboarding just prior to a race weekend, was all for drivers getting on top of their cars. "Stuff happens," Elliott said. "That's life. The guy was enjoying a great day. He messed up. "It was an accident. I don't fault him for enjoying his moment. He rightfully earned that and whatever he wants to do, he should do it. ... If something warranted a climb, yeah absolutely [I'd do it]." William Byron, who won the Daytona 500, compared Zilisch's injury to falling down a flight of stairs. "I hated to see Connor go through that, so that was tough to see, but I think we all will learn a little bit from it," Byron said. 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