MckourageHendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will not be racing in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway due to an injury sustained while snowboarding in Colorado on Friday. The driver is set to undergo surgery on his left leg later that day.
Elliott’s replacement for the race will be NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry, who currently drives for Hendrick affiliate JR Motorsports. The latter will be taking over the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.
In a statement released on Friday, Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said, “Chase’s health is our primary concern.
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.”
As of this writing, there are no additional details regarding the accident and the extent of Elliott’s injuries.
Hendrick Motorsports officials are scheduled to participate in a press conference on Saturday to provide further updates. The media availability will be streamed on NASCAR.com.
Elliott has been a full-time Cup Series driver since 2016, and he had not missed a single start in his career before this incident.
The driver won a total of 18 times during that stretch, including the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship, and advanced to the Championship 4 in 2021 and 2022.
Meanwhile, Berry has only made two previous Cup Series appearances, both for Spire Motorsports in the previous season.
He finished 30th at Dover Motor Speedway and 26th at Michigan International Speedway. However, he is a five-time winner in Xfinity Series competition, with two of his victories coming at Las Vegas.
His most recent win at the track was instrumental in propelling him to his first Championship 4 appearance during his first full Xfinity season in 2021.
The Pennzoil 400 race will take place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be aired on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Finally, Elliott’s unexpected absence this weekend will be an opportunity for Berry to showcase his skills as a driver.
Fans of both drivers will be waiting eagerly for the press conference on Saturday for more details regarding the situation.
Mckourage
