LAS VEGAS — NASCAR driver Chase Elliott is out indefinitely after undergoing a successful three-hour surgery to repair a fractured tibia, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Jeff Andrews said Saturday.
Andrews said there was no timeline on the return of Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion who has been voted most popular driver by fans the past five years. The 27-year-old from Dawsonville, Georgia, injured the shin bone in his left leg Friday while snowboarding in Colorado. Josh Berry will drive the Hendrick No. 9 Chevrolet in place of Elliott in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“We’re going to race a long time together with Chase Elliott, and we’re going to win a lot more races together,” Andrews said. “Certainly there’s a little bit of a setback, and obviously Chase is very disappointed. The most important thing is Chase’s health, and we’ll have a suit ready for him when he’s healthy and ready to get back in a race car.”
Andrews said the process has begun to attain a waiver from NASCAR for Elliott to be eligible for this year’s playoffs, which cover the final 10 races on the schedule and begin in September. Waivers have been granted to other drivers for various circumstances, and 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski said he wouldn’t have a problem if Elliott received a waiver.
“Life happens,” said Keselowski, who is in his second season a driver/co-owner for RFK Racing. “The schedule is just so demanding. It’s inevitable that it’s going to happen to somebody sometimes.