Mike Forde reveals NASCAR plans for Victory Lane celebrations after scary Connor Zilisch fall

NASCAR has no plans to change its Victory Lane protocols in the future following Connor Zilisch‘s fall after this past Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, did say on Wednesday’s “Hauler Talk” podcast that more attention will be paid to the location of the window net during Victory Lane celebrations.

“I think that was part of the problem that the window net was flapping on the outside,” Forde said. “I think Connor even said that may have been a problem, and one of our safety guys actually mentioned the same thing. So, we may do just sort of a check to make sure that if that’s inside the car, it’s one less thing you can slip on.”

Zilisch appeared to get his left foot stuck in the window net upon climbing out of his car, leading to the fall. He announced on social media that he underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his broken collarbone.

Connor Zilisch details extent of surgery after falling off car at Watkins Glen

“Wanted to give everyone a quick update,” Zilisch wrote on X. “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.”

Zilisch had said on Monday’s “Door Bumper Clear” podcast that his broken collarbone could require surgery. He added that undergoing surgery “speeds up the process” in recovery.

“I think it might be something that I might have to get surgery for,” Zilisch said. “But in this case, I think surgery is something that speeds up the process. So you can get plates and screws and get it reconstructed back together. Shane [van Gisbergen] talked about it — he had an injury in 2021 and broke his collarbone — he had plates, screws, everything done and he was racing back the next weekend. Thankfully, the collarbone is a relatively quick bone to fix and heal.”

Zilisch, 19, was supposed to compete in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. As a result of his injury, Trackhouse Racing withdrew the No. 87 car from the race.

Zilisch is the Xfinity Series points leader after his victory at Watkins Glen, his sixth of the season. The Xfinity Series is off next weekend before returning Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway. Zilisch has already missed one race this season due to a back injury.