Chase Elliott is out indefinitely after fracturing his tibia in a snowboarding accident on Friday. In a press conference from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday (March 4) Hendrick Motorsports team president Jeff Andrews announced that there is “no timeline” for his return to the No. 9 car:
“We would expect this to obviously be several weeks but beyond that, I don’t have a timeline to offer for you. We will work with Chase and his doctors in the future to help determine that.”
Elliott sustained the injury to his left leg on Friday while snowboarding in Colorado. He had successful surgery Friday night and is expected to be released from the hospital on Saturday.
“Chase’s health is our primary concern,” car owner Rick Hendrick said in a team release. “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.”
Hendrick Motorsports has applied for a playoff waiver, once Elliott is able to return and is awaiting NASCAR’s decision.
In the two Cup races in the 2023 season, the 2020 series champion has scored one top five, a runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway.
Josh Berry will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet. The NASCAR Xfinity Series regular has made two career Cup starts, with a best finish of 26th achieved at Michigan International Speedway subbing for Corey LaJoie in the summer of 2021. Berry also has two Xfinity victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Berry will join the Cup field in the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday (March 5) at 3:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by FOX.
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.