By Noah Nelson
Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, and a consistent title favorite, will miss Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after suffering a leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado. Elliott is scheduled to have surgery this evening on his left leg.
While there is no official news on Elliott’s long term prognosis, team owner Rick Hendrick did release the following update: “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.”
JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry gets the call to replace Elliott this weekend. The 32-year-old from Hendersonville, Tennessee is no stranger to being a substitute driver, having filled in for Justin Haley at Dover in 2021 after Haley was out due to COVID-19 protocols. It was Berry’s first cup start, where he placed 30th.
This will be the first race without Elliott since the 2015 season finale. Berry is a past winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Xfinity series, winning in 2021 and 2022’s fall events, and hopes to continue his winning ways with the team that won the 2020 Cup Series title.
