Another NASCAR Driver Suffers From Injury After Watkins Glen Incident

Newsweek

11 hours ago

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The NASCAR race weekend at Watkins Glen International made headlines not only for Shane van Gisbergen's fourth Cup Series victory, but also for full-time Xfinity driver Connor Zilisch's fall while celebrating his race win in the Victory Lane. Now though, it appears that another driver was involved in an incident on the same weekend, leading to his absence from the upcoming race at Richmond.
Bill McAnally Racing confirmed in a statement on X that Jack Wood will not be able to compete in the Truck Series race on Friday at Richmond Raceway as a "precautionary" measure after he sustained an injury at Watkins Glen. The update read:
"Jack Wood will not compete in Friday's race at Richmond Raceway for precautionary measures due to an injury he sustained at Watkins Glen International. The No. 91 entry has been withdrawn from the event.
"An update on Wood's status will be announced at a later date."
Christopher Bell, driver of the #52 Halmar International Toyota, and Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Mobil 1 Toyota, lead the field during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Mission 176 at The Glen at Watkins...
Christopher Bell, driver of the #52 Halmar International Toyota, and Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Mobil 1 Toyota, lead the field during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Mission 176 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 08, 2025 in Watkins Glen, New York. MoreThe incident occurred when Wood lost control of his truck due to a suspected front left tire puncture, leading him to crash into the barriers on either side of the track. While he was released from the infield care center after evaluation, the severity of his injury remains unknown.
Fortunately for Zilisch, who leads the points standings, it is an Xfinity Series off-weekend this time, meaning he has one more week left to recover from a broken collarbone. He recently underwent surgery to speed up his recovery, but it remains to be seen if he will return for the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway on August 22.
At Watkins Glen, Zilisch was to race the following day for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series. However, his injury prevented that from happening. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks opened up about the 19-year-old's return to racing after the incident, explaining how discussions had to be made with several parties to ensure Zilisch received maximum support. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
"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."