Connor Zilisch’s road to recovery has taken a step forward, with the 19-year-old NASCAR prodigy having undergone surgery on a broken collarbone on Tuesday.

The Xfinity Series leader and driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet suffered the bone break as he celebrated his win at Watkins Glen on Saturday. After climbing out of the window of his car and up onto the roof to celebrate, his leg slipped back into the cockpit, causing him to fall.

Strechered away and transported to a local hospital, Zilisch was cleared of any head injuries, although his left collarbone was less fortunate. Luckily for the youngster, this may not derail his title chase, with teammate Shane van Gisbergen having given an insight into his own experience racing shortly after breaking his collarbone in 2021.

Fast forward to Tuesday, Zilisch, who has six race wins this season, including four in the last five races, took to social media to update his fans, having recently undergone surgery. “Wanted to give everyone a quick update,” he wrote.

“Had surgery on my collarbone this morning to get a plate and screws to help with the healing process. Been a tough few days for me mentally, but all the love you guys have shown has certainly helped. Thank you.”

While it would be easy for Zilisch’s spirits to be low given the circumstances, including the fact that his injury caused him to miss a valuable Cup Series start for Trackhouse Racing, the Red Bull-sponsored athlete and Formula 1 hopeful was able to see the funny side of things.

In a separate social media post, he shared a photo of his hospital wrist band reading “Fall Risk,” captioning the snap, “The bracelet I got in the hospital this morning bc of anesthesia. Can’t make this stuff up.”

This came after Zilisch detailed the incident on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, where he revealed his equally hilarious immediate response to realizing the severity of his injury following his fall. While he had been “talking gibberish” to the medics, “The first words that came out of my mouth that were legitimate were, ‘God, everyone’s going to think I’m a p—-y.’ Cause I was like, ‘Why am I on a stretcher right now? I feel fine.’ I didn’t realize what had happened.”

DON’T MISS

Exactly when Zilisch could return behind the wheel remains unclear. However, the Xfinity Series is not set to race again until the Wawa 250 at Daytona on August 22.

Now with a plate in place, if van Gisbergen’s experiences are any sign of what is to come for Zilisch, a return at Daytona could be on the cards. “Once the plate is in there, it’s stronger than the bone was,” the New Zealander, who won Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, explained.

“I’d get a plate put in and then take it out at the end of the year. It is obviously going to be in pain.

“My biggest problem was the tightening of the belts. I could really feel the plate through my skin, and it was a horrible feeling. But I raced the next week and did pretty well. So, with some good doctors and some good drugs, he’ll get through the race fine.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond for the Cook Out 400.

When it comes to the odds, bettors can also dive into that action and place wagers on which driver they think has what it takes to win outright.

Last weekend at Watkins Glen, Shane van Gisbergen got into victory lane with win No. 4 on the season. For this weekend’s race at Richmond, Denny Hamlin has opened as the slight favorite at +400 over Christopher Bell, who’s second on the board at +450.

Who will take the checkered flag at the Cook Out? Let’s dive into the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Aug. 13.

Cook Out 400 Richmond 2025

Denny Hamlin: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Christopher Bell: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)
Kyle Larson: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
William Byron: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Joey Logano: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Ryan Blaney: +1100 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Chase Briscoe: +1100 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Chase Elliott: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Brad Keselowski: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Chris Buescher: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Ross Chastain: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Tyler Reddick: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Kyle Busch: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Austin Dillon: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Bubba Wallace: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Ty Gibbs: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Josh Berry: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Carson Hocevar: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Ryan Preece: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Alex Bowman: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Daniel Suarez: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Austin Cindric: +7500 (bet $10 to win $760 total)
Corey Heim: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Erik Jones: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
John Hunter Nemechek: +16000 (bet $10 to win $1,610 total)
Noah Gragson: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Michael McDowell: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
AJ Allmendinger: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Zane Smith: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Shane van Gisbergen: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Todd Gilliland: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Jesse Love: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Justin Haley: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Cole Custer: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Ty Dillon: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Riley Herbst: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Cody Ware: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)

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What’s Happening?

During the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded to Kyle Petty’s viral clip lobbying support for the NASCAR Next Gen car, in which Petty said NASCAR has not raced ‘stock cars’ since “about 1958.”

Following a difficult showing for NASCAR’s Generation Seven race car at Iowa Speedway, last week’s episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, featured the second-generation driver discussing his issues with NASCAR’s current Cup Series car.

During this rant, Earnhardt voiced his frustration with aspects of the car that many deem untraditional, such as a rear diffuser, single lug-nut wheels, and better brakes. Perhaps the most heated quote from this rant was Earnahrdt saying, “I don’t love the Next Gen car…. It’s an IMSA car. It’s a sports car.”

“I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here. I don’t love the Next Gen car…. It’s an IMSA car. It’s a sports car. It’s got a diffuser. It’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes. It’s a sports car. It’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There’s millions of dollars already way down the road and the car’s here. It’s on the track. It’s not changing. It’s not going anywhere… It doesn’t do me any good to sit here and bitch about the f****** lack of tire fall off or the inability to pass. It’s frustrating.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr., The Dale Jr. Download, Aug 5

These words echoed into yet another lackluster showing for the car at Watkins Glen, and, unsurprisingly, Earnhardt’s comment re-emerged, this time via an unlikely source.

During the Aug. 11 episode of PRN’s Fast Talk, fellow second-generation racer Kyle Petty responded to Earnhardt, saying that he doesn’t feel like the Hall of Famer’s comments are “deserved,” and “we have not raced stock cars since about 1958,” Petty said. “We don’t race stock cars. We race NASCARs.”

People have always resisted modernizing the NASCAR stock car platform, but Petty claimed that the Gen Seven car is “years ahead” of the “antiquated” cars of the past. The 65-year-old closed by saying, “We’re seeing some spectacular stuff on the racetrack, and I think it’s only gonna get better.”

During this week’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt responded to Petty, saying, “I really, really respect Kyle, I think the world of him, and I appreciate his opinion,” Earnhardt said. “But I would just disagree that the car doesn’t produce what I expect.”

Earnhardt again mounted his soapbox, suggesting that if he had a say in fixing the car, he would continue searching for the right changes to “achieve f****** amazing great racing” at short tracks and road courses.

“Again, going back 75 years, I know Kyle’s been around a long time, the car doesn’t produce the kind of racing that I know we are capable of at road courses and short tracks,” Earnhardt said. “The car does not produce the type of racing that I think should be our standard, and I know what we’re capable of at road courses and short tracks; and I would not stop at trying to achieve f****** amazing great racing at those style tracks.”

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Richmond Raceway qualifying orders for this weekend

NASCAR is going short track racing at Richmond Raceway. The 0.75-mile track in Richmond, Virginia is set to host the NASCAR Cup Series, Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour.

View the NASCAR qualifying order for Richmond Raceway below.

NASCAR Cup Series
Qualifying Order
Richmond Raceway

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. Corey Heim
41.900

2. Jesse Love
40.100

3. Cole Custer
34.000

4. Josh Berry
31.700

5. Cody Ware
31.100

6. Ty Dillon
30.600

7. John Hunter Nemechek
29.300

8. Todd Gilliland
28.900

9. Kyle Larson
28.800

10. Ty Gibbs
28.200

11. Justin Haley
27.900

12. Brad Keselowski
27.400

13. Riley Herbst
27.300

14. Noah Gragson
24.600

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
23.900

16. Kyle Busch
20.200

17. Zane Smith
20.000

18. Michael McDowell
19.900

19. Austin Dillon
18.900

Group 2

20. Chase Elliott
18.800

21. Carson Hocevar
18.600

22. Denny Hamlin
18.400

23. Alex Bowman
16.700

24. Austin Cindric
15.700

25. Erik Jones
14.700

26. Joey Logano
13.700

27. Daniel Suarez
13.600

28. AJ Allmendinger
13.100

29. Ryan Preece
12.700

30. Ross Chastain
11.200

31. Bubba Wallace
8.900

32. Tyler Reddick
8.400

33. Shane van Gisbergen
8.200

34. Ryan Blaney
6.000

35. Chase Briscoe
5.900

36. Chris Buescher
5.100

37. William Byron
3.100

38. Christopher Bell
2.600

NASCAR Truck Series
Qualifying Order
Richmond Raceway

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. Carson Kvapil
59.000

2. Matthew Gould
58.700

3. Caleb Costner
42.200

4. Ryan Roulette
41.300

5. Patrick Staropoli
40.400

6. Norm Benning
39.200

7. Stephen Mallozzi
33.800

8. #02 TBA
32.800

9. Jack Wood
30.300

10. Toni Breidinger
28.400

11. Corey LaJoie
28.200

12. Frankie Muniz
27.300

13. Rajah Caruth
26.900

14. Clayton Green
26.200

15. Andres Perez
26.100

16. Tanner Gray
24.400

17. Ben Rhodes
21.800

18. Luke Fenhaus
21.700

19. Christian Eckes
21.300

Group 2

20. Spencer Boyd
20.400

21. Grant Enfinger
18.900

22. Dawson Sutton
17.300

23. Chandler Smith
17.000

24. Connor Mosack
16.600

25. Matt Crafton
15.100

26. Jake Garcia
13.800

27. Brent Crews
13.400

28. Matt Mills
13.200

29. Layne Riggs
7.600

30. Bayley Currey
7.400

31. Ty Majeski
7.300

32. Kaden Honeycutt
7.000

33. Tyler Ankrum
6.200

34. Gio Ruggiero
6.000

35. Sammy Smith
5.700

36. Daniel Hemric
2.600

37. Corey Heim
1.000

NASCAR Whelen Modified
Entry List

Car | Driver

#1
Patrick Emerling

#3
Tyler Rypkema

#4
Ryan Newman

#7
Luke Baldwin

#8
John-Michael Shenette

#18
Ken Heagy

#21
Stephen Kopcik

#22
Kyle Bonsignore

#23
Carson Loftin

#24
Andrew Krause

#40
Ryan Preece

#46
Craig Lutz

#48
Danny Bohn

#51
Justin Bonsignore

#54
Tommy Catalano

#56
Trevor Catalano

#58
Eric Goodale

#59
Tyler Barry

#60
Matt Hirshman

#64
Austin Beers

#70 TBA

#77
Corey LaJoie

#99
Conner Jones

#129
Mike Marshall

Links

Richmond Raceway | NASCAR

Corey Heim (No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Upper Deck Toyota) leads a group of cars at turn two during the Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 on March 01,2025 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.(Photo by Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Sam Hunt is trying to do something extraordinary. At 32 years old, he’s attempting to become one of the youngest winning team owners in Nascar Xfinity Series history.

The independent Sam Hunt Racing is managed by Hunt, a former racer himself, who had the foresight that he may not make it as a driver.

“I have always been a realist and reality has never scared me or phased me,” Hunt said. “I was fortunate to race with some really good guys like Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. I got to see the level of talent it was going to take to make it all the way. Racing with Kyle Larson was a pretty good indicator.”

Hunt competed in the ARCA Menards Series East from 2012-19 before realizing it’s time for a change. He totaled a trio of top 10 finishes in 34 career starts with a best finish of sixth in 2013. Running the full 2012 campaign, he placed 12th in points, the same year in which Larson won the championship. Additional Cup Series stars Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and part timer Corey LaJoie were victorious that season.

But Hunt’s passion for the sport, combined with a business degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, propelled him to start his own team in 2019. Slowly, Hunt began fielding an entry for more races in 2020 before going full-time in 2021. His team blossomed, growing to two full-time entries in 2023.

Hunt’s small group has come close to winning on numerous occasions. John Hunter Nemecheck has a trio of top fives for the organization, and Toyota driver Corey Heim also nearly won a few races in Hunt’s equipment. This year, Christopher Bell was contending for a win at Mexico City in Hunt’s No. 24 car until an engine expired.

“We have one step left to be there consistently,” Hunt said of competing for wins. “We’ve covered the bingo card all around victory lane. I want all of the people who have left bigger, Cup-affiliated teams and have gotten on board with what we’re building to be in victory lane.

“I won’t say it’ll be the most special day in my life because I am married, but it’ll be close to it.”

Hunt is currently fielding a single full-time entry with rookie Dean Thompson, while running a part-time second car with numerous drivers. Thompson struggled in the Craftsman Truck Series at times, but is now thriving as a rookie in the Xfinity Series. He has a top five and five top 10s through 23 races.

“His confidence wasn’t at its highest,” Hunt said of when Thompson signed on with SHR. “When he came in, we said he needed to embed himself into our program and be with us every single day. We were going to be hard on him, but we are his family.”

While Hunt does not have an official alliance with Toyota powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing, the small team is succeeding because of JGR equipment. SHR purchases older JGR equipment and leases the team’s engines.

“J.D. Gibbs (one of Joe Gibbs’ sons) was one of the first owners I met when I was younger,” Hunt said. “How J.D. interacted and treated his people and how his people looked up to him was inspiring to me. The entire Gibbs family has always been very welcoming to me, a kid with a big dream trying to start a very improbable business.

“We have to be extremely creative about how we develop as purist racers.”

The journey to get to this point was extremely tough. Hunt moved to Mooresville, N.C. with nothing. He was living in a van outside of the old Robert Yates Racing engine shop until he got some floor space inside.

Now, as Hunt looks to win as a team owner, the most reachable goal at the moment is qualifying for the playoffs. Thompson is 16th on the playoff grid with three races remaining in the regular season, four positions away from the cutoff line and 82 points back. He will likely need to deliver SHR its first win in the next three races to qualify for the postseason. The series has a couple of wild card races remaining, first visiting Daytona International Speedway next weekend.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Athletics has solidified a new multi-year partnership with Grant County Mulch, deeming the country’s largest bulk mulch supplier as the “Official Mulch Supplier.”

WVU Athletics is also excited to announce that Grant County Mulch will be wrapping a WVU themed truck to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the Richmond Raceway on Aug.15. The sponsored truck is owned by CR7 Motorsports and will be driven by Grant Enfinger.

Coverage of the race begins at 7:30 pm EST on FS1.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with WVU Athletics. Both of us—and our parents—were born and raised in West Virginia, so this partnership means more than business to us,” Larry and Janie Berg, founders of Grant County Mulch, said. “It’s about honoring our roots, supporting our home state, and being part of something that represents the pride and spirit of West Virginians everywhere.”

“I’ve spent years in Morgantown, tailgating and cheering from the stands at Milan Puskar Stadium. Partnering with WVU Athletics is surreal—it’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Stacey Berg, Sales Manager at Grant County Mulch, said. “This is a full-circle moment for me and our family.”

The partnership will deliver various traditional and digital assets, including in-state use of university marks, football ribbon LED board, basketball center hung lower LED, baseball outfield wall, vehicle display at one football game, and in-game baseball live mention.

The new partnership marks the start of Grant County Mulch being featured in the MSN Radio Post-Game Show for Football and Men’s Basketball through the awarding of “Tough as Mulch” Player of the Game.

“We are very excited to welcome Grant County Mulch as the Official Mulch Supplier of WVU Athletics and to partner with them on the CR7 Motorsports entry in the upcoming NCTS race at Richmond,” Matt Wells, WVU’s Deputy Director of Athletics for External Affairs, said. “Grant County Mulch is a family-owned, West Virginia-based company whose history and brand fit perfectly with WVU Athletics.

“This partnership presents a unique opportunity to highlight our WVU pride in a great way,” Evan Hawkins, General Manager of Mountaineer Sports Properties, said. “We are extremely proud to align with Grant County Mulch, which shares such similar values and roots.”

Grant County Mulch is committed to providing 100% all natural mulch products through its process of composing organic waste. Grant County Mulch specializes in innovation and utilizing cutting-edge technologies to supply the highest quality mulch.

Mountaineer Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield – the media and technology company powering college athletics – is the exclusive multimedia rights holder for WVU Athletics and oversees all sponsorship agreements on behalf of the Mountaineers.

About Grant County Mulch

Founded in 1986 by Verlin Larry Berg and his wife Janie, Grant County Mulch (GCM) began on a small hill in the mountains of West Virginia with just the two of them and a simple philosophy: Work hard, treat people right, and have strong faith.

That philosophy laid the foundation for what would become the largest bulk mulch manufacturer in the country, now distributing over three million yards annually. Within six months of opening, GCM hired its first employee and soon relocated to what is now the company’s headquarters in Petersburg, WV. Through decades of dedication and growth, GCM expanded to ten plants and distribution centers across WV, MD, PA, and VA. The company was honored with the WV Small Businessperson of the Year Award and continues to adapt to an evolving marketplace. Despite the changes, GCM’s core values remain unchanged—values deeply rooted in West Virginia pride. As Coach Bill Stewart once said, “It’s Mountaineer pride, nothing cheap, from the heart. Man, I am proud to be from West Virginia.”

About West Virginia Athletics 

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at West Virginia University sponsors 18 varsity sports with more than 500 student-athletes competing in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s indoor and outdoor track, rifle, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, women’s rowing and wrestling. West Virginia University competes in the Big 12 Conference in all sports except men’s soccer (Sun Belt Conference) and rifle (Great American Rifle Conference) and strives in its athletics program for national excellence and prominence.

 

About Learfield

Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.