Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following an injury to his left leg while snowboarding in Colorado on Friday. He is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday evening.
NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry, who drives for Hendrick affiliate JR Motorsports, will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.
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“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.”
The team did not provide additional details on the nature of Elliott’s injuries or the accident in its statement Friday. Hendrick Motorsports officials are scheduled to participate in a press conference Saturday at noon ET to provide updates. The media availability will be streamed on NASCAR.com.
Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, had not previously missed a start in his full-time Cup Series career. Dating back to the 2016 Daytona 500, he had made 254 consecutive starts.
He won 18 times during that stretch and, in addition to his 2020 title, advanced to the Championship 4 in 2021 and 2022.
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will mark Berry’s third start in the NASCAR Cup Series. He made two appearances last season for Spire Motorsports, finishing 30th at Dover Motor Speedway and 26th at Michigan International Speedway.
Berry is a five-time winner in Xfinity Series competition, and two of those victories have come at Las Vegas. Last year’s Vegas win propelled Berry to his first Championship 4 appearance in his first full Xfinity season.