Hendrick Motorsports shared Tuesday that driver Chase Elliott will be out for approximately six weeks as he recovers from a leg injury suffered in a snowboarding accident on March 3. Josh Berry will continue to serve as Elliott's substitute driver for all oval tracks, while IMSA racer Jordan Taylor will fill in as the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet at Circuit of the Americas.
Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, fractured his left tibia while snowboarding in Colorado prior to the most recent Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott underwent surgery that evening and was released from the hospital Saturday.
Josh Berry, who races full-time for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, finished 29th after being tabbed as substitute driver for the weekend.
"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," read a statement by team owner Rick Hendrick. "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, whose big break in NASCAR's national touring series came after he won the sport's Weekly Series championship in 2020, has five wins in the Xfinity Series over the past two seasons and was fourth in the championship standings in 2022. The 32-year-old driver from Hendersonville, Tenn. made his third career Cup start filling in for Elliott in Las Vegas.
Jordan Taylor, who currently races full-time in IMSA for Corvette Racing, will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut. Taylor was part of the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona-winning team in the IMSA prototype class alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, and he would go on to win the IMSA championship that same year.
While Circuit of the Americas will mark Taylor's first ever try at NASCAR, he has already gained some notoriety within the sport as his online alter-ego Rodney Sandstorm, a rabid NASCAR fan in a retro Jeff Gordon jacket and jorts.