NASCAR: Chase Elliott injured in snowboarding accident

For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Chase Elliott is set to miss a race. He won’t compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after suffering an injury in a snowboarding accident.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott will not be competing in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after suffering a leg injury in a Colorado snowboarding accident. He is set to undergo surgery later this evening.

Josh Berry, who competes full-time for the Hendrick-affiliated JR Motorsports team in the Xfinity Series, is set to replace the five-time Most Popular Driver Award winner and 2020 Cup Series champion behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.

The 267-lap Pennzoil 400 around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas, Nevada oval is set to be the first race in which Elliott has not competed since his full-time Cup Series career began back in 2016. His consecutive start streak is set to end at 254.

As for Berry, he has made two NASCAR Cup Series starts as a replacement driver, both for Spire Motorsports in 2021.

He finished in 30th place at Dover Motor Speedway and 26th at Michigan International Speedway. With three victories, he qualified for the Championship 4 in his first full Xfinity Series season last year.

Elliott will likely be granted a playoff waiver, meaning that despite missing a race (or races), he will be eligible to compete in the playoffs if he wins a regular season race and/or qualifies on points.

After being involved in a Daytona 500 wreck to open up the season, Elliott finished in second place at Auto Club Speedway this past Sunday afternoon. He is tied for 14th in the standings with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, placing him 11 points above the current playoff cut line.

The Pennzoil 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Las Vegas Motor Speedway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday afternoon. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!