Chase Elliott to miss Las Vegas race with leg injury; Berry steps in Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after injuring his left leg while snowboarding in Colorado on Friday.
He is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday night. Josh Berry, a regular driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and a driver for Hendrick subsidiary JR Motorsports, will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend. RELATED: Chase Elliott’s career in photos “Chase’s health is our biggest concern,” Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said. “He’s talked to several of our team members and is understandably disappointed that he’s not going to be in the car. Of course, we have his full support and will provide him with all the resources he needs.
We hope to provide another update this weekend. ” In a statement Friday, the team did not provide any details about Elliott’s injuries or the nature of the accident.
Hendrick Motorsports officials will be at a press conference on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET to provide an update. Available media will be streamed on NASCAR.com.
Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, had never missed a start in his full-time Cup Series career. His 218 consecutive starts date back to the 2016 Daytona 500. During that time, he’s won 18 times and advanced to the Championship Four in 2021 and 2022, in addition to his 2020 title.
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) will mark Berry’s third NASCAR Cup Series start. He competed twice last season for Spire Motorsports, finishing 30th at Dover Motor Speedway and 26th at Michigan International Speedway. Berry has five Xfinity Series wins, including two at Las Vegas.
Last year’s win in Las Vegas earned Berry his first Championship Four appearance in his first full Xfinity season.
