Victory Lane in NASCAR has seen just about everything! From burnouts that leave the track smoking to champagne showers that drench everyone in sight. Think of Carl Edwards’ iconic backflips, Tony Stewart climbing the fence like a rock star, or Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s jubilant leap into a sea of fans. It’s that moment when adrenaline is still buzzing, the crowd is roaring, and the driver gets to celebrate the grind it took to get there.
But here’s the thing: as wild and fun as these celebrations look, they’re not all harmless. Sometimes, the thrill of the moment can lead to moves that make even the toughest veterans wince. And recently, Connor Zilisch’s celebration had seasoned pros like Denny Hamlin quietly thinking twice about how they climb out of their cars.
Denny Hamlin’s shock after Connor Zilisch’s painful misstep
Connor Zilisch’s Watkins Glen celebration took a frightening turn when what should have been a victory high turned into a hard, awkward crash to the ground. Denny Hamlin, watching the replay later, couldn’t hide his reaction. “I watched it and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Like I’m genuinely concerned.” The clip showed Zilisch stepping down from his car, losing his balance, and slamming onto the pavement after landing on his shoulder.
“First thing I thought, and I told Jordan this, I said, ‘Oh man, that’s a collarbone breaker right there,’” Hamlin admitted on his Actions Detrimental podcast. And he wasn’t wrong. Zilisch later confirmed a broken collarbone, a common injury in motorsports given the high-impact nature of crashes. Or in this case, an ill-timed misstep. Zilisch had surgery this week to repair the broken collarbone as he looks to return as soon as possible. That being said, Zilisch has not announced when that will be.
Denny Hamlin contrasted the incident with Shane van Gisbergen’s more cautious approach the next day after winning the Cup Series race at the same venue. “SVG just stepped one leg out and then just stood beside his car, hit the wave, and walked around,” Hamlin recalled. No theatrics. No risk. Just a simple, safe acknowledgment of the fans. In hindsight, a smarter move after seeing what happened with Connor Zilisch.
The veteran even admitted, “I would still be in the hospital,” if it had been him making the fall. At 44, Denny Hamlin says he’s more aware of how one wrong step can have season-altering consequences. A decade earlier, he underwent knee surgery and has since been cautious with every step that he takes, especially on wet surfaces. “Still to this day, once it gets wet, I walk around rather gingerly just watching.”
The incident comes at a time when NASCAR already has plenty of ways to keep drivers on their toes. And not always in a good way. Between hard Next-Gen hits and pit road chaos, the sport is dangerous enough without adding “Victory Lane dismount” to the injury list. If even a post-race celebration can send someone to the ER, maybe it’s time to make climbing down from the car a little less like an extreme sport.
While on the subject, there was another thing that Hamlin expressed his views on.
Denny Hamlin blasts NASCAR’s leadership
Denny Hamlin has once again pulled no punches in critiquing the sport’s current direction. Recently, Hamlin called out what he considers a series of “horrible decisions” made by NASCAR’s leadership. His frustrations echo a growing chorus of discontent from both fans and drivers. Central to Hamlin’s frustrations is the ongoing controversy surrounding the Next-Gen car.
Hamlin highlighted the Next-Gen car’s similarities to the much-maligned Car of Tomorrow (CoT) era. He argued that both prioritized parity and safety at the expense of real racing excitement. “I believe that the Next Gen car is reaching hate levels similar to the CoT with the wing. From fans, and I think they’re starting to dislike this car as much as the drivers that have to drive it,” Hamlin explained. He pointed out that the car’s design has led to fewer passes, resulting in less dramatic races.
Further, Denny Hamlin criticized NASCAR’s top-floor decision-makers for pursuing business goals without meaningful driver input. He suggested that this top-down approach erodes the sport’s competitive essence. “No business is immune to bad decisions. I think NASCAR has made some horrible decisions over a given amount of time… and eventually it catches up. You’re going to have to pay for your bad decisions at some point,” he warned.
The ramifications, according to Hamlin, are already evident. Declining TV ratings, growing fan discontent, and a sport that risks alienating its core audience. Hamlin’s candor reflects real anxiety within the paddock about NASCAR’s trajectory. By calling out leadership, he’s amplifying a call for the sanctioning body to listen, adapt, and reclaim the on-track excitement that made NASCAR great in the first place.
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