DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Xfinity Series points leader will continue to compete for the regular-season championship despite a recent surgery on his collarbone. Connor Zilisch will be back in the No. 88.
The JR Motorsports weekly preview provided the first indication that Zilisch would return to the Xfinity Series lineup after breaking his collarbone in a fall at Watkins Glen International. The North Carolina native then confirmed that he had received clearance from his doctors to compete.
Cya tomorrow @DAYTONA🥳thank you to my doctors, surgeons, and everyone who has supported me through this ordeal🙏 pic.twitter.com/cyextJahiU
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) August 21, 2025
Zilisch will not miss any time, nor will he have to request another waiver to keep him eligible for the playoffs. JR Motorsports previously requested and received a waiver after a back injury kept Zilisch out of the Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
"I'm looking forward to getting down to Daytona this weekend with our WeatherTech Chevrolet," the Rookie of the Year leader said in a press release from JR Motorsports.
"Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and everyone on this JRM team have been working really hard through the off weekend to get us ready to go. We've got a good plan in place and I'm ready to get back to the track."
What is this plan? That remains unknown. Zilisch even told Fox Sports this week that he could just get out at the first caution and have Parker Kligerman take over the No. 88. The rookie would not get stage points or playoff points, but he would get points for where the car finishes the race.
This race will mark Zilisch's fifth Xfinity Series start on a drafting track. He has experienced mixed results in his previous starts in the No. 88 Chevrolet. He crashed at Daytona and Atlanta to start the season and then he crashed while going for the win at Talladega. Zilisch injured his back in this particular incident.
The second trip to Atlanta played out far better for Zilisch. He started sixth and finished fourth after scoring five stage points. He posted this finish midway through an 11-race stretch in which he finished fifth or better while winning five times.
Now that he has successfully undergone surgery, he will attempt to keep this streak alive while maintaining his seven-point lead over teammate Justin Allgaier in the battle for the regular-season championship.