NASCAR insider issues ‘tragedy’ warning after terrifying St Louis incident

Connor Zilisch and victory lane celebrations have been a major subplot to the story that is the 2025 NASCAR season.

The 19-year-old phenom has been absolutely brilliant this year, claiming nine Xfinity Series victories. On Saturday he made it four in a row with a peerless success at Gateway, just outside of St Louis.

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The postrace chatter though wasn’t just about the tantalizing potential ‘Godzilisch’ displays every time he gets into a car, it was about a terrifying incident during his postrace celebrations.

Zilisch came agonizingly close to taking out a NASCAR camera guy as he completed his burnout en route to Victory Lane. And we mean agonizingly close - you can watch the incident here. A few seconds later he actually did then slam his car into a wall.

The terrifying near miss led insiders and fans to question whether it is time for NASCAR to review its postrace procedures, and just how safe they are. Like why was a camera guy on the track at this moment?

'Closer and closer' to a NASCAR tragedy

One prominent voice was SI inside Toby Christie, who took to social media to issue a grim warning:.

“We are getting closer and closer to a post-race tragedy with camera guys walking around out on hot race tracks. Can we stop this?! #NASCAR."

Another victory controversy for Zilisch

This is not the first time Zilisch has been center stage in postrace carnage in 2025. Just a few short weeks ago he suffered a fractured collarbone while celebrating his win at Watkins Glen.

Then, the Trackhouse phenom had caught his foot in the window net as he looked to climb onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet. He fell heavily to the pavement before being transferred to a local hospital. He would undergo surgery a few days later.

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