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NASCAR: Chase Elliott’s injury replacement plan finally announced

By Eric Treuden

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 05: Josh Berry, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, speaks to crew members prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 05: Josh Berry, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, speaks to crew members prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
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Chase Elliott’s injury replacement plan has finally been announced by team owner Rick Hendrick.

When news broke that Chase Elliott, the most popular driver in all of NASCAR, had fractured his left tibia in a snowboarding accident, the panic button was pressed by all followers of the sport.

Elliott, 27, won the Cup Series championship back in 2020 and has won each of the last five Most Popular Driver Awards to go with his 18 wins at the sports’ top level.

In an article penned by Hendrick Motorsports on their official website, Elliott’s recovery timetable was set at six weeks, meaning he is going to miss a significant chunk of time moving forward.

Josh Berry, a full-time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, filled in for Elliott at Las Vegas. He did well given the circumstances, but ultimately brought the car home 29th in his third career Cup Series start.

NASCAR: Who is going to replace Chase Elliott while he recovers from injury?

As of today, Hendrick announced that Berry will continue to man the No. 9 in Elliott’s absence. He will drive the car on the upcoming ovals including Phoenix, Atlanta and Richmond with the Bristol Dirt Race and Martinsville also likely falling into his lap.

The most interesting wrinkle in this story is how the team plans to handle the race at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) in Austin, Texas. The event is just three races from now and the team appears to be comfortable with handing the reigns over to IMSA star Jordan Taylor.

Taylor, 31, has never competed in any NASCAR sanctioned events . However, he is one of the best IMSA SportsCar drivers in the sports’ history, winning 24 races and three championships since his debut back in 2014.

The appeal with Taylor is undoubtedly his past experience at COTA. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in four races there, winning in both 2016 and 2017.

If the past is any indicator of how drivers fare switching from a non-NASCAR series to the Cup Series, Taylor may not be any good at the track.

Rick Hendrick himself says:

"“We’re focused on getting Chase back to 100%, so we’ll take however much time is necessary and make sure he has the best resources available. Josh was impressive this weekend under difficult circumstances, and we look forward to having him drive the oval tracks until Chase is able to return. Jordan is a world-class road racer and has recently been working with our Garage 56 team preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’ll be able to step in and do a great job at COTA.”"

Berry raced at COTA last year in the Xfinity Series but finished just 27th. He fared better at other road courses on the schedule, including a third place finish at Road America, ninth at Watkins Glen and eighth at the Charlotte Roval.

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