NASCAR: Chase Elliott replacement confirmed for Phoenix

Chase Elliott’s replacement at Hendrick Motorsports has been confirmed for Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott is currently sidelined from NASCAR Cup Series competition indefinitely after suffering a broken left tibia in a Colorado snowboarding accident this past Friday.

There was no initial timetable on a potential return for the five-time Most Popular Driver Award winner, though his absence was said to be for “several weeks”.

Hendrick Motorsports applied for him to receive a playoff waiver, indicating that they did expect to have him back at some point during the regular season, and it is since been announced that he is expected to be out for six weeks.

But for the time being, somebody else is going to be scoring points for the No. 9 team behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet.

This past Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry who got the nod to join Rick Hendrick’s. He finished in 29th place in his third career Cup Series start and first since 2021, when he made two relief appearances for Spire Motorsports.

In this coming Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, Berry is set to replace the 2020 champion again.

Berry was initially listed as the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for this 312-lap United Rentals Work United 500 around the four-turn, 1.058-mile (1.703-kilometer) Avondale, Arizona oval, but that was subject to change since the team hadn’t formally confirmed Elliott’s replacement for his second race out.

Hendrick Motorsports are coming off of a top three finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with William Byron winning ahead of Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman. Those three drivers have each won one of the last three March races at the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas, Nevada oval.

The United Rentals Work United 500 is set to be broadcast live from Phoenix Raceway on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 12. If you haven’t already done so, start a free trial of FuboTV today and don’t miss it!