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Shane van Gisbergen goes in depth on post-injury talk with Connor Zilisch

ProfilePhotoby: Nick Geddes08/15/25NickGeddesNews
Connor Zilisch
Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shane van Gisbergen is in a unique position where he knows exactly what Connor Zilisch is going through. Van Gisbergen broke his collarbone in a mountain bike accident in 2021 and returned to racing just two weeks after the incident.

Zilisch, his Trackhouse Racing/JR Motorsports teammate, is now in the same situation. He broke his collarbone after falling off the top of his car while celebrating in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International this past Saturday. When van Gisbergen learned of Zilisch’s diagnosis, he immediately reached out. He believes it’s possible for Zilisch to return for next Friday’s race at Daytona International Speedway.

“My injury was probably worse than his. I did like my AC [joint] and three ribs as well on a mountain bike accident and then I had one week off and raced the next week, which is exactly what he’s got. He’s got Richmond off and then Daytona, so he should be fine,” van Gisbergen said on the Dale Jr. Download. “Your collarbone — it’s probably the best major bone you can break. You bolt it together and it’s stronger than it was. The hardest thing is putting on the belts. You feel the bolts in the collarbone through the belts and it’s just irritating and annoying.

“But yeah, he could — if it’s just the collarbone — he could race at Daytona or even this weekend. … I did that, broke my collarbone and raced the next race. I raced for three or four months and when we had a break, I took the plate out again and it was brand new. He can be fine. That was horrible to see. Initially, I thought he had done his knee or his ankle. Luckily, collarbone is a relatively OK bone to break.”

Connor Zilisch underwent surgery to repair broken collarbone

Fortunately for Zilisch, he has an entire week off before Daytona. He underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his broken collarbone and wants to get back in the racecar as soon as possible. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said it will be a “group decision” in determining when Zilisch is ready to return.

Zilisch is the Xfinity Series points leader after his victory at Watkins Glen, his sixth of the season. The 19-year-old holds a seven-point advantage over teammate Justin Allgaier in the race for the regular season championship.