Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Chase Elliottis taking several weeks away from the track as he recovers from a broken leg.
TheNASCARdriver, 27, suffered a fractured tibia in his left leg during a snowboarding accident in Colorado and “underwent a successful surgery” on Friday, Hendrick Motorsports shared in a news release, announcing that he will not race Sunday at the NASCAR Cup Series in Las Vegas.
“There is no timeline at this point,” said Jeff Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager, in a statement about Elliott’s recovery, noting that it will likely take “several weeks” and the team is working with Elliott’s doctors to find out more.
“For Mr. Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, the most important thing is Chase’s health and his well-being. We’ll work with him on that timeline,” added Andrews. “We are going to race a long time together with Chase Elliott, and we are going to win a lot more races together. Certainly, this is a little bit of a setback and Chase is very disappointed. We’ll have a seat ready for him when he is healthy and ready to get back in a race car.”
Meanwhile,Josh Berrywill fill in for Elliott at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Berry, 32, said that Elliott reached out to him ahead of Sunday’s race.
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“He shot me a text and just thanked me for helping out,” he said. “I thanked him for thinking of me and considering me for this fill-in position. Chase has been a good friend to me over the years. Even dating back to when I would make a couple of Xfinity Series starts years ago at JR Motorsports. He was always one of the first ones to help me whenever I needed it.”
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“I’m thankful for these guys for giving me this opportunity. I obviously wish him well and going forward, I’ll do whatever these guys need and we’ll take it from there,” added Berry.
source: people.com
