Connor Zilisch has been medically cleared to return to competition and will drive the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, he and the team announced on social media Thursday.
Zilisch, the Xfinity Series points leader, broke his collarbone in a Victory Lane fall after winning the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen International. The 19-year-old was taken to a local hospital immediately following the fall and was released the same evening. He then underwent successful surgery on Aug. 12, during which doctors added a plate and screws to his collarbone to aid the healing process, Zilisch said.
MORE: Daytona schedule | Xfinity Series standings
Friday’s race will mark the series’ first since Watkins Glen, meaning Zilisch will not miss a race despite the injury. He enters Friday’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with a seven-point lead over teammate Justin Allgaier as they chase the Regular Season Championship. Parker Kligerman, a three-time winner in Craftsman Truck Series competition, will be on standby in case Zilisch needs to step out of the car. The starting driver is the driver of record, so if Zilisch starts the race, he will receive the points earned no matter where the car finishes even if Kligerman steps behind the wheel mid-race.
Zilisch previously missed a race this season at Texas Motor Speedway after suffering a back injury in a Talladega Superspeedway crash in April. Kyle Larson substituted and drove the No. 88 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Texas.
Three races remain in the Xfinity Series’ regular season, with Daytona preceding events at Portland International Raceway (Aug. 30) and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Sept. 6).