NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott, the Cup Series’ most popular driver, is set to undergo surgery on Friday after suffering a leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado.
Elliott will miss Sunday’s Cup Series race in Las Vegas, and a timeline for a possible return is unclear. Josh Berry will drive Elliott’s No. 9 car on Sunday.
According to Hendrick Motorsports, the team plans to share further updates on Elliott’s condition later this weekend.
Via Hendrick Motorsports:
“Chase’s health is our primary concern,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “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.”
If Elliott is able to return to racing later this year, he’ll likely still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs via an injury waiver, but an extended absence would mean Elliott would have to win a race to earn his spot.
In 2015, Kyle Busch broke his leg and foot at Daytona in February, but later returned after missing the first 11 Cup Series races of the year and went on to win the 2015 Cup Series championship.
Through two races in 2023, Elliott entered the weekend in 14th position in the point standings, but was coming off a strong second-place finish last weekend at Fontana.
Update via The Athletic‘s Jordan Bianchi:
Hendrick Motorsports just completed a press conference updating Chase Elliott's status.
-Elliott fractured his left tibia; he is expected to be released today.
-No timeline on when Elliott may return.
-HMS has applied for a playoff waiver and is awaiting NASCAR's decision.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) March 4, 2023
