Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports star, Connor Zilisch, has emerged as a breakout talent in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series. In 22 starts, he leads the standings with six victories and five poles, delivering 12 top-five and 14 top-ten finishes, and amassing a series-leading 823 points. Just months ago, he was 172 points behind Justin Allgaier after missing the May race at Texas due to a back injury. Yet by August, Zilisch had erased the deficit and surged into the championship lead, averaging nearly 47.3 points per race in his last ten outings. Moreover, his dominance on road courses has been undeniable, claiming wins at COTA, Sonoma, and the Glen, and maintaining an uninterrupted string of 11 straight top-five finishes.

Everything was clicking until what seemed like a routine victory celebration at Watkins Glen last weekend turned harrowing. After leading a race-high 60 of 82 laps in the Mission 200, Zilisch tried to climb onto the roof of his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, but his foot caught in the window netting, sending him crashing to the ground. Thankfully, scans showed no head injury, but his collarbone needed surgery. Even with this setback, Zilisch has had a stellar season, with multiple wins and consistent top-five finishes, putting him on track as NASCAR’s top rising stars. “I think that was part of the problem, the window net was flapping on the outside. Connor even mentioned that it may have been a problem, and one of our safety guys agreed. We may just do a check to make sure it’s properly secured, one less thing for someone to slip on,” said Forde. Yet now, the situation appears to have settled, with official confirmation from Zilisch himself.

Connor Zilisch cleared for takeoff at Daytona

The 19-year-old star underwent successful surgery to repair a broken collarbone he suffered while celebrating his sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Watkins Glen. Now, Zilisch offered fans the update they had all been waiting for. Posting on X, he wrote, “Cya tomorrow @DAYTONA 🥳 thank you to my doctors, surgeons, and everyone who has supported me through this ordeal 🙏,” attaching a screenshot of his chat that read, “Letter has been received. Email has been sent. You are officially cleared.” The message confirmed that he received medical clearance to compete despite earlier doubts of having to miss a few races.

Though speculations from earlier this week by Mike Forde on the latest episode of Hauler Talk emphasized, “If Zilisch starts the Daytona race in the No. 88 Chevrolet before handing over driving duties, he would still collect all race points, including those for the fastest lap. However, any playoff points earned by the substitute driver during stage or race wins would remain with the substitute and not transfer to Zilisch,” it is now clear that no substitute will be needed. Just days before this clearance, Zilisch’s recovery progress has already been subject to widespread attention. Doctors were impressed by his “accelerated healing” and cleared him for light training earlier in the week.

Leading up to the Wawa 250 at Daytona, Zilisch’s status was uncertain. However, a JR Motorsports representative confirmed that Zilisch would drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, affirming his readiness to compete. Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks expressed confidence in Zilisch’s recovery, noting, “It’s a balance,” Marks told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “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… 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… But we’ve got to make smart decisions, so I would just say, stay tuned on that one.”

The No. 88 team leads the owner standings by 56 points, highlighting their dominance this season. But despite the incident, NASCAR isn’t scrapping the sport’s beloved Victory Lane celebrations. What matters most, however, is that Zilisch has managed to make his return far earlier than anyone anticipated.

Dale Jr. weighs in on potential NASCAR rule shift

NASCAR is reportedly reconsidering participation limits for Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity and Truck Series. Currently capped at five Xfinity starts per season for experienced Cup drivers, the proposed change could allow up to 10 races. Sponsors and broadcast partners, including The CW and O’Reilly Auto Parts, are weighing the potential commercial benefits, while fans express a strong interest in seeing Cup stars compete in lower-tier series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered his perspective on the potential shift. “I think it’s fine. They compete in them now, but I think they have limited them to like, what, five starts a year? Right now, five is the limit, and I would be fine if they went to 10,” he said. He highlighted the appeal of star power, noting, “Fans say they want to see the Cup guys in those races. Fans are going to tune in more if more Cup guys are in those races.”

At the same time, Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged the financial strain this can place on smaller teams. “Your budget in this series, for a lot of teams, is based strictly on performance. You don’t have like a $5 million check from a sponsor.” He added, “Things have changed. They made the restrictions, and we got teams like ours starting to win more races, right?” The final decision, likely to take effect in 2026, will aim to balance fan demand, sponsor interests, and opportunities for up-and-coming drivers.