
Connor Zilisch rushed to hospital after shocking Victory Lane fall at Watkins Glen win
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88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to celebrate and lost his footing. He landed hard and medical crews quickly placed him on a backboard and took him by ambulance to the track's care center. The CW broadcast said he was awake and talking with the safety team. NASCAR later confirmed he was alert and would be taken to a nearby hospital for more checks.
Connor Zilisch's victory at Watkins Glen ends with scary fall in Victory Lane
With 60 of the 82 laps in the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen, Connor Zilisch claimed sixth victory of the Xfinity Series campaign.
He slipped and dropped to the ground as he emerged from the cockpit into Victory Lane and stepped onto his car.
Right away, medical personnel came, loaded him onto a backboard, then rushed him by ambulance to the infield care center. NASCAR said his examination showed him to be
"awake and alert."
The CW broadcast showed him talking with medical staff as he was loaded into the ambulance.
Connor Zilisch benefits from Shane van Gisbergen clash and massive crash to take Mission 200 win
Earlier in the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course race, Connor Zilisch fought fiercely for the lead with his JR Motorsports teammate Shane van Gisbergen.
Van Gisbergen finished his run since they collided late in the race against the wall. At the finish, Zilisch kept Sam Mayer off by 2.326 seconds. He inherited the head.
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The race also saw a massive 16-car crash that caused a 45-minute red flag. After that, Zilisch powered ahead and took the win.
Legendary NASCAR driver Kyle Busch shared his worry after seeing the fall. He sent supporters praying for Connor Zilisch's well-being.
The CW and NASCAR confirmed he was conscious and alert during the medical response. Fans also saw him sitting up inside the ambulance while being taken to the care center.
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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
With Cup playoffs at stake, controversial limits of rough driving could be tested again at Richmond
NASCAR playoff desperation reached a controversial peak at Richmond Raceway last year. HT Image At the mercy of securing a victory to make the 16-driver field that competes for the Cup championship, Austin Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final two corners of the last lap to claim his first win in nearly two years. The celebration was short-lived as NASCAR revoked Dillon's playoff eligibility three days later in determining the Richard Childress Racing driver 'crossed a line' with rough driving. 'NASCAR drew a line in the sand,' Hamlin said Friday. 'They're not afraid to make hard decisions, and I think that's very, very important to the governing of the sport, so it's not a circus. And so I do feel a little bit better about it now than 12 months ago. "Certainly, that was the first time we'd seen something like that, and NASCAR had a precedent to set. If you let that go, you open up a floodgate of crazy things that would be bad for the relevance and legitimacy of the sport. Everyone probably has a little better understanding now because of the ruling.' As NASCAR's premier series returns Saturday night to Richmond, Virginia, with two races remaining in the regular season and three open slots in the playoffs, did Dillon's win establish the new boundary of what's permissible in pushing for a victory that guarantees a berth in the 10-race run to the title? For the Cup driver who has gone to greater lengths than anyone in aggressively moving rivals this season, the question is moot. 'I think that was sort of a freak deal,' Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar said. 'If you had them rerun the same play, I don't think he gets both of them. 'I don't think we'll ever see someone get one guy and then turn down and get the second guy. That was one of those once in a blue moon or lifetime things that was a perfect storm of chaos. They were all in the most perfect spots for him to win by all means necessary. It would be really hard to ever replicate.' If Richmond were to deliver another combustible finish, few are as willing to tangle with the competition as Hocevar. The Spire Motorsports driver has gotten sideways with a seemingly endless list of drivers — Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Zane Smith are among the most aggrieved. Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Hocevar angered Brad Keselowski in qualifying and then collided multiple times with teammate Michael McDowell during the race. Though he planned to iron out differences with McDowell, the 23-year-old Hocevar seems unconcerned about crossing a veteran with his No. 77 Chevrolet for a win. 'I don't take a head count of who's frustrated with or mad at us,' he said. 'It's constantly changing by the week.' Despite a solid second season in Cup with career-high second-place finishes at Atlanta and Nashville, Hocevar is 22nd in the points standings because of multiple mechanical failures. His only path to the playoffs is automatically qualifying with a win, which also holds for Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and Keselowski. At least one winless driver will make the playoffs on points. Tyler Reddick could clinch a playoff spot Saturday without a victory. In the battle for the final provisional spot, Chris Buescher leads Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford teammate Ryan Preece by 34 points. 'If you're in position and have the opportunity to win, I don't want to think about what I should have done differently,' Preece said. 'You need to be a racer and not leave anything on the table. You've got to do it with respect, but at the same time, a half-lap can change your entire season.' Ranked 28th in the standings, Dillon is in the same win-or-else position at Richmond as a year ago and is no less confident about the No. 3 Chevy's chances on the 0.75-mile oval. 'I'm pumped,' he said. 'I just want to see if we can be as successful as last year. It was still a big day, and I'll always remember it as one of my favorite wins. We got the trophy, just not the NASCAR playoffs spot.' Xfinity Series points leader Connor Zilisch underwent surgery Tuesday morning on the broken collarbone he suffered in a hard fall while celebrating his Aug. 9 victory at Watkins Glen International. Though it's unclear if Zilisch will return for the Aug. 22 race at Daytona International Speedway, his injury has made an impact with drivers now mindful of their exuberance upon exiting their cars in victory lane. 'That was so frightening, so I think we'll all think about it more,' Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry said. 'We've been strapped in the car for three or four hours. You get out, and it's no different than being on a plane and standing up for the first time. Your legs are a little shaky.' Team Penske's Austin Cindric said it might be a 'rookie mistake' for a winner to leave the window net dangling outside the car . 'I think about what happened to Connor often because the saying goes big trees fall hard,' said Cindric, who stands 6-foot-3. 'That's a long way for a big, tall guy to fall. It's kind of an upsetting thing to watch and feel helpless about it.' Denny Hamlin is the BetMGM Sportsbook favorite for Richmond, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell , Kyle Larson , Joey Logano and William Byron . … Richmond Raceway is playing host to its only NASCAR race weekend this season. The 0.75-mile oval had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024 . … Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 19 Toyota is the only driver with top 10s in the season's first three short-track races at Martinsville Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway. auto racing: /hub/auto-racing This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Generational aura debt': NASCAR racer Connor Zilisch on fall from car that broke collarbone
Connor Zilisch has taken his accident in rather good stride. The NASCAR driver suffered a nasty fall trying to exit his Chevrolet to celebrate him winning the Xfinity Series. Connor Zilisch's fall from his car left him with a broken collarbone.(Reuters) The incident at Watkins Glen left the 19-year-old with a broken collarbone. Once Zilisch had greater clarity on his injury, the driver was back with his team, and was photographed in an arm sling. Connor Zilisch laughs off NASCAR car fall He's decided to laugh off the entire matter, sharing a video of his fall, which the original poster captioned, saying 'NASCAR driver KO's himself trying to get out of his car.' The video from the day of the accident shows Connor climbing out of the window to celebrate the win, when he appears to lose his balance and fall, remaining still on the ground, before he's taken away. Connor, reacting to this fall, said 'Now that I know I'll be alright, it's gonna be tough to make a comeback from this generational aura debt.' He added, 'Dang, at least I won.' Not just Connor, his father too is getting in on the fun The funny streak seems to run in the Zilisch family, since not just Connor, but his father too had jokes about the fall. 'Silver lining. Pooping himself is no longer his most embarrassing moment,' his father, Jim, wrote on X. Also Read | Connor Zilisch reveals broken collarbone after freak fall: What's the recovery time? The accident, which took place a couple of days back, had left many fans worried, but Connor provided an update soon after. 'Thank you everybody for reaching out today. I'm out of the hospital and getting better already. Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear, I just have a broken collarbone. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn't any worse,' he had said. Zilisch was also scheduled to compete for Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen. However, after the fall, his team announced they were pulling the Chevy from the race.


Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Team owner predicts van Gisbergen will make a deep run in NASCAR playoffs
Labeling statistics as 'kind of an American thing,' Shane van Gisbergen avoids dwelling on his record-setting rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Team owner predicts van Gisbergen will make a deep run in NASCAR playoffs 'It normally hits me on the plane ride home or at 4 a.m. after a few beers,' van Gisbergen said Sunday after conquering the Watkins Glen International road course in New York for his fourth victory this year. 'I try to reflect on it, but I also try and get to the next week pretty quick. I'll try not to tweet at 4 a.m. this morning.' If the laid-back Kiwi were into chest-pounding on social media, the list of heady accomplishments includes being the third driver with four consecutive Cup wins on road or street courses, joining 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. 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'Shane just continues to go showcase why we've made a long-term commitment to him, why we brought him over here from New Zealand and built this team around him,' said Marks, who signed van Gisbergen to a multiyear extension last week. 'Because in a sport like this where winning is so important and so hard to do, if you can catch some lightning in a bottle like we've got with SVG, you've got to really lean into it. That's what we've done. It's like seeing a plan come together.' The plan now has a path to the doorstep of a Cup title. The first round of 16 drivers is contested on three ovals, but van Gisbergen has a sizable 22-point cushion to overcome a 26.9 average finish on ovals. Pared down to 12 drivers, the second round features a road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A win there would catapult a driver into the third round, where eight drivers will square off for four berths in the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway. 'He's in a really good position,' Marks said. 'I think we have a real opportunity to get to the Round of 8.' The playoffs open at tricky Darlington Raceway, whose odd shape is among the most difficult layouts in NASCAR, but van Gisbergen is more concerned about the first-round cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished 38th in his April 13 debut on the Tennessee short track. 'I ran terrible there,' said van Gisbergen, who finished 20th a week earlier at Darlington. 'Bristol was so far from anything I've ever done, and that's a really tough place. That's probably the biggest worry. Darlington, I feel fine, especially now that we have a lot of points. You've just got to have three solid weeks, and you might get through. We just have to play the averages, make no mistakes and make sure we're in a good spot every week.' After pulling Connor Zilisch from the Cup race at Watkins Glen, Marks said it's unclear when the Xfinity Series points leader will return from the broken collarbone he suffered while celebrating his series-high sixth victory Saturday. With approval from NASCAR, Zilisch could skip the final three regular-season races and still be eligible for the Xfinity playoffs. 'He's a huge asset and a huge part of the future of the business,' Marks said. 'We have to make sure that we're not hurting any long-term opportunities by taking advantage of a short-term opportunity.' Having raced with a broken collarbone in 2021, van Gisbergen believes Zilisch could return for the Aug. 22 race at Daytona International Speedway. 'I had a weekend off and raced the next week, so pretty much what he's going to go through,' van Gisbergen said. 'I'd get a plate put in and then take it out at the end of the year. It's obviously going to be in pain. My biggest problem was tightening the belts. I could really feel the plate through the skin, and it was a horrible feeling. But I raced the next week and did pretty well. For sure with some good doctors and some good drugs, he'll get through the race fine.' With team owner Michael Jordan in attendance, Bubba Wallace finished eighth at Watkins Glen for a season-best fourth consecutive top 10. The stretch includes the Brickyard 400 victory that qualified Wallace for the playoffs and relieved enormous pressure from the No. 23 Toyota driver. 'Indy was life-changing,' Wallace said. 'It allowed me to not harp on all of the mistakes that I usually make at a road course. The big boss was here, so it's good to get MJ a couple of top 10s.' auto racing: /hub/auto-racing This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.