NASCAR’s JR Motorsports has confirmed that Connor Zilisch will participate in the Xfinity Series Race at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday.
The announcement arrives after Zilisch’s viral celebratory fall from his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, which led him to undergo surgery for his broken collarbone.
There was much speculation about Zilisch’s racing return in the last two weeks, especially since he currently leads the Xfinity Series championship. To expedite his recovery, a surgery was performed, and now, he seems to be race-ready for this weekend.
However, JRM has kept Parker Kligerman on standby, just in case the situation demands a last-minute change, given Zilisch’s recent recovery. JRM stated on X:
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“Connor Zilisch will return behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet this Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
“Parker Kligerman will be on standby if needed.”
Zilisch shared an image on X, announcing his racing return and thanking his doctors for the speedy recovery. He said:
“Cya tomorrow@DAYTONA🥳thank you to my doctors, surgeons, and everyone who has supported me through this ordeal🙏”
Newsweek Sports recently reported on JRM’s inclination to let Zilisch race this weekend, based on the Xfinity Series entry list released by NASCAR that had Zilisch’s name in it. However, Trackhouse Racing, which partners with the 19-year-old driver for select Cup Series entries, revealed a skeptical stance about Zilisch’s racing return. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said:
“It’s a balance. It’s a balance between a 19-year-old kid who just wants to be in the race car and can’t stand not being in the race car and is capable of driving the race car right now. And the other side of that is we need to make a smart decision. What we can’t do is rush him back into the car, especially a place like Daytona, get in a wreck and then be worse off than we were before.
“So it’s kind of a day-by-day deal right now. This will be a big week to see how his rehab goes and his comfort level and all that stuff. And it could end up being a game-time decision. I know that we all want him back in the race car. He wants to be back in the race car. JRM wants him to be back in the race car. But we’ve got to make smart decisions, so I would just say, stay tuned on that one.”