NASCAR: 5 possible replacements for Chase Elliott
By Asher Fair
Possible Chase Elliott replacements: No. 3 – Sam Mayer
We saw last year when 23XI Racing turned to Ty Gibbs to replace Kurt Busch after Busch suffered a head injury in a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway that teams are trying more and more to allow younger drivers to gain experience.
Chase Elliott’s absence could give Hendrick Motorsports a great opportunity to get Sam Mayer his first Cup Series experience. Mayer is currently in his third season (second full season) with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series.
The 19-year-old Franklin, Wisconsin native figures to be a key part of the future for this organization and for Chevrolet as a whole, having been with the manufacturer for the last five seasons.
The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet is still seeking his first Xfinity Series victory, but he had a strong rookie season last year which saw him record 11 top five finishes and finish in seventh place in the point standings. He has had a strong start to the 2023 season as well.
The downside of turning to Mayer is that if experience is the only goal, then result won’t matter as much, and while Elliott himself can’t score any points during his absence anyway, the No. 9 team still needs points to remain competitive in the owner standings.
The team currently sits below the playoff cut line in 19th place. With this in mind, is Mayer the best all-around option?