NASCAR: Date, race confirmed for Chase Elliott’s return
By Asher Fair
Chase Elliott is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series return this Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway after missing six races with a broken leg.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott has not competed in a NASCAR Cup Series race since late February, when he finished in second place at Auto Club Speedway.
The following week, he broke his left tibia in a snowboarding crash in Colorado, causing him to undergo a three-hour surgery. He was immediately ruled out for the weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it was later revealed that he was expected to miss roughly six weeks of Cup Series action.
JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry has filled in for Elliott behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet in the oval races, while three-time IMSA SportsCar Championship champion Jordan Taylor replaced him in the road course race at Circuit of the Americas.
After missing the last six NASCAR Cup Series races, Chase Elliott is set to return at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday.
Elliott has officially been granted a playoff waiver, meaning that his missed races won’t prevent him from being playoff eligible if he qualifies for the postseason, either on points or with a race victory (or both, if there are more than 16 winners during the 26-race regular season). He has qualified for the playoffs in all seven of his seasons as a full-time driver.
The 2020 champion sits in 34th place in the point standings through eight races, having competed in only two, so he has plenty of work to do to qualify for the playoffs. He is 134 points below the playoff cut line.
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The NOCO 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, April 16, so be sure to tune in and don’t miss Chase Elliott’s long-awaited return to NASCAR Cup Series action. If you haven’t already done so, begin a free trial of FuboTV today!