Chase Elliott will not race in NASCAR’s Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas on Sunday after injuring his leg in a snowboarding accident on Friday in Colorado.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver is scheduled to have surgery Friday night. Josh Berry will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Sunday’s race.
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a statement that Elliott was “disappointed” to miss Sunday’s race but has the team’s “full support” and any resources needed for his recovery.
Elliott’s injury comes despite racing for Hendrick, who typically does not allow drivers to engage in adventurous activities outside of racing due to fear of injuries. However, Hendrick changed his attitude on additional activities outside of racing in 2021 when he signed Kyle Larson to the organization. Larson, who races at smaller tracks around the country, convinced Hendrick to allow him to keep his outside racing pursuits.
That move by Hendrick allowed Elliott and all other drivers under the brand to engage in outside endeavors. It remains unclear what affairs or extracurricular activities Elliot is permitted or not permitted to do as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports.
Elliott, a second-generation driver and son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, signed a deal with Hendrick when he was 14. Since then, he has won 18 career NASCAR Cup victories and has appeared in the championship finale each of the last three years. Elliott is also the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, the ’22 regular season champion, the ’16 Spring Cup Series rookie of the year and a five-time most popular driver among fans.
