Photo courtesy of James Gilbert | Getty Images
2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion will miss Sunday’s Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after suffering a left leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado Friday. He is set to undergo surgery Friday evening.
During a press conference at Las Vegas Saturday morning, Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager Jeff Andrews said that Elliott fractured his left tibia and there is no timetable for his return. Andrews also added that Elliott went under a successful three-hour surgery.
“For Mr. Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, the most important thing is Chase’s health and his well-being,” Andrews said. “We’ll work with him on that timeline. We are going to race a long time together with Chase Elliott and we are going to win a lot more races together. Certainly, this is a little bit of a setback and Chase is very disappointed. We’ll have a seat ready for him when he is healthy and ready to get back in a race car.”
Filling in for Elliott on Sunday will be Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry. Berry pilots the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports; reaching the Championship 4 last season.
Berry’s only Cup experience came in 2021 with two starts for Spire Motorsports.
“Chase’s health is our primary concern,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports in a statement. “He’s spoken with several members of our team and is understandably disappointed to miss time in the car. Of course, he has our full support, and we’ll provide any resources he needs. We hope to share another update later this weekend.”
Hendrick has applied for a waiver for Elliott to keep him playoff eligible.
