NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott underwent successful surgery for an unspecified injury on his left leg Friday night, hours after a snowboarding accident in Colorado. He will miss this weekend’s NASCAR race in Las Vegas.
Team owner Rick Hendrick told The Associated Press that Elliott “just came out of surgery” and “it went well.” Hendrick gave no further details about Elliott’s condition or the accident.
Hendrick is NASCAR’s most successful car owner and Elliott is NASCAR’s most popular driver.
Josh Berry will drive the #9 Chevrolet in place of Elliott on Sunday.
Elliott would need a waiver from NASCAR to qualify for this year’s playoffs as he misses a race. NASCAR has granted exceptions to drivers for a variety of medical and non-medical reasons.
“Chase’s health is our primary concern,” Hendrick said prior to Elliott’s surgery. “He has spoken to several members of our team and is understandably disappointed that he is missing the time in the car. Of course he has our full support and we are providing him with all the resources he needs.”
Elliott is a second-generation driver and the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. The Georgia native is NASCAR’s five-time fan-voted driver.
Elliott finished second to Kyle Busch in Fontana, California last week. He was part of a crash at the season-opening Daytona 500.
Las Vegas is the third race of the season. Berry is a two-time Las Vegas Xfinity Series winner and the defending Xfinity winner. Berry will also drive for Hendrick subsidiary JR Motorsports on Saturday.
Part of NASCAR’s dwindling squad of true superstars, Elliott was signed to a developmental deal by Hendrick when he was just 14 years old.
He has blossomed into a true elite racer and won the 2020 Cup title. The 27-year-old has 18 career cup wins and has advanced to the championship final for the past three years in a row.
The injury comes at a time when Hendrick was dramatically changing his attitude towards extracurricular activities. He was adamant that his drivers should not race in other series or engage in reckless behavior for fear of injury.
But he has made a complete about-face after signing Kyle Larson for 2021. Larson runs small tracks across the country and has persuaded Hendrick not to force him to stop.
In fact, Hendrick is even working with McLaren and Chevrolet to start Larson at the Indianapolis 500. The deal was announced for 2024, but the AP has learned the deal is a two-year deal that includes the 2025 race.
Hendrick has also entered a car in the IMSA sports car series endurance races for the past two seasons and is driving to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June as part of a special project with NASCAR. Elliott was considered an early contender for a spot in the historic entry, but NASCAR has a conflicted race weekend and Elliott has always said he would not miss a cup race.
Hendrick’s new position opened the door for all four HMS drivers to race at other events and Elliott has accepted the offer.
However, Elliott’s snowboarding accident happened during physical activity, and it’s not public knowledge what he can and cannot do under his Hendrick contract.
Elliott is a licensed pilot and because he never left his hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia, he often flies himself to meetings at Hendrick’s North Carolina race shop.
After relaxing his eyes on additional races, Hendrick explained that a driver knows full well that if he gets injured, he will be replaced. This will be his first test.
Hendrick driver Alex Bowman missed five races last year with a concussion he sustained in a NASCAR race. He received a contract extension last month.
32-year-old Berry normally drives for JRM in the second-tier Xfinity series. He is a five-time winner for JRM and has previously made two cup starts.
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