RICHMOND, Va. — Chase Briscoe went fishing last Saturday afternoon of Watkins Glen weekend, enjoying the tranquility of Seneca Lake after the rush of Cup Series qualifying. He paused briefly from wetting a hook to check on who had won the Xfinity Series race later that day, and the notifications on his phone made him think of the worst.
“All I saw was ‘prayers for Zilisch,’ so I started kind of panicking,” said Briscoe, driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
The picture became clearer once a replay of Zilisch’s Victory Lane tumble appeared, showing the Xfinity Series rookie sensation losing his footing as he stood atop the door and roof of his winning car. The 19-year-old driver hit the ground sharply, unable to slow his fall after his foot became entangled in the window netting. He was later transported to a local hospital for treatment of a broken collarbone. Briscoe, watching that celebration go awry, said he could sympathize.
“I’ve been close to doing that,” Briscoe said Friday at Richmond Raceway. “It’s easy to do, especially for me. I’ve got a size 13 foot, so just in general, my feet are kind of big for the door. I’ve even fell off in a sprint car before. My first sprint car win, I fell off the top, busted my butt. So I’ve kind of been conscious ever since then, but it is super easy to do, especially with the window net. Like it’s definitely one of those things I feel like you’re conscious of now more than ever, just because it’s so fresh in everybody’s mind. But yeah, I mean, it’s crazy to say it could have been a lot worse, but I mean, he’s lucky he didn’t break his leg, and obviously even do something with his head. He didn’t really have a chance to protect himself. So yeah, just crazy though. Crazy circumstance.”
How Saturday night’s celebration might go was a fresh topic, even before Saturday’s Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) sets sail at the 0.75-mile track. Several drivers shared their concerns for Zilisch’s health after his spill, but noted that the incident wouldn’t necessarily alter how they celebrate wins in the future.
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A teammate of Briscoe’s, however, said the altercation gave him pause.
“No one’s told me that,” said JGR’s Christopher Bell, noting that team leadership had not given him a ‘best practices’ list for how to celebrate wins. “But I can promise you, I’ve done my last car-stand for a while, that’s for sure. That is, I mean, just so eye-opening and scary, and it’s bad.”
Victory Lane varies from track to track on the NASCAR schedule, but the managed chaos is a constant. Drivers tend to find a perch atop their cars to stand tall for photos, all while champagne corks fly and beverages spray. Cole Custer stumbled from his car door after an Xfinity Series win in 2019, Brad Keselowski sliced his hand on a champagne bottle after winning at Kentucky Speedway in 2014, and more recently and just as fluky, Layne Riggs dislocated his shoulder after winning Milwaukee last year — an injury that required offseason surgery.
Zilisch, a Trackhouse Racing prospect who drives full-time for JR Motorsports, has experienced the thrills of Victory Lane six times already in his first full Xfinity Series season. His slip, while dramatic, hasn’t prompted any bans from Trackhouse management, but caution may still be top of mind.
“We haven’t had a conversation specifically about it. Certainly no policy,” said Phil Surgen, crew chief for Trackhouse’s No. 1 Chevrolet. “I think back to Victory Lane celebrations, even from this year, and you can pick out a few instances where guys had unsure footing on the roof or on the door top, and they didn’t fall, of course. So we may have a conversation, but I’m sure all the drivers are going to be a little bit more careful where they make that step.”
Surgen’s own driver may need to take heed. Ross Chastain says he’s received no directives to curb his trademark celebration, smashing a homegrown watermelon on the track from high atop his No. 1 Chevy.
“It’s recommended to do that,” Chastain said. “… No hesitation here. If we’re smashing watermelons, we’re doing OK. It is a good reminder, but I mean, there’s dangerous things in life, everywhere we go.”