(Photo: Erik Smith | The Podium Finish)
LAS VEGAS — Josh Berry has a massive opportunity to drive a Cup Series car for Hendrick Motorsports on Sunday. But it certainly didn’t come how he hoped it would have.
On Friday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Chase Elliott suffered a left leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado.
Representatives from HMS shared an update Saturday, stating that Elliott suffered a fractured tibia. He underwent a three-hour surgery, which the team said was successful. Elliott has no timeline for return and was expected to leave the hospital Saturday morning.
“We’re going to race a long time together with Chase Elliott and we’re going to win a lot more races together,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of HMS. “It’s certainly a little bit of a setback and obviously Chase is very disappointed, but again, I want to reiterate that the most important thing is Chase’s health. We’ll have his seat ready for him when he’s healthy and ready to get back into a race car.”
Andrews said that the team filed for a waiver to keep Elliott eligible for the Playoffs. NASCAR has yet to review and notify the team of the decision. Elliott is an experienced snowboarder and the injury was a complete accident, according to Andrews. The team does not anticipate changing the extracurricular policy for their drivers.
Elliott, the 2020 champion, crashed and finished 38th at Daytona International Speedway before finishing runner-up last weekend at Auto Club Speedway. An 18-time Cup Series winner, Elliott has started 254 consecutive races dating back to 2017.
HMS wanted Berry, a driver for affiliate JR Motorsports, to pilot the car because of his similar driving style and size to Elliott.
(Photo: Michael Donohue | The Podium Finish)
“The decision was made a lot around Josh’s driving style, and then of course the fit in the car,” Andrews said. “Trying to find someone close to Chase’s size given the timing and what we had to work with here in getting him fitted in the car last night. Those were really the two main decisions around why we wanted to go with Josh.
“[Elliott] cares an awful lot about his race team and Mr. Hendrick. And I think at the top of his mind, he’s worried and concerned that he let – first and foremost – Mr. Hendrick down and his race team down. Texting with him this morning, he was asking how late his guys had to work and things like that, just on the swap over. That’s just pretty typical Chase Elliott. He’s a great kid; has a huge heart and can only imagine how hard this is [for him]. He’s worried about how hard this is on us, and we’re worried about how hard it is on him.”
Berry will make his third career Cup Series start on Sunday, but his first in high-level equipment. His previous two starts came with Spire Motorsports in 2021.
Berry has a pair of Xfinity Series victories at Las Vegas, including a win last fall to lock himself into the Championship 4. He finished fifth in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300.
“It’s just crazy how quick something like that can happen,” Berry said. “But yeah the fact that I’ve won here [at Las Vegas Motor Speedway] twice in the Xfinity car definitely makes it a lot easier. I’m going to be learning a new car … At least having some success at the track I think will definitely give me some confidence; some more confidence in what I’m doing.
“These guys have some great tools to look at and things to prepare for. I’m going to just try to not overthink it, and like I said, just take it one lap at a time. Just try to run all the laps and be there at the end of the race.”
Josh Berry turns his first laps for Hendrick Motorsports. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
Although Berry cannot earn driver’s points on Elliott’s behalf, he can continue to earn owner’s points for the No. 9 team.
“My focus is really making the transition as easy for Josh (Berry) as possible; trying to help him get acclimated to the car, feel comfortable and get to a position that he can use his talents and abilities to be successful,” said Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 car.
“It’s still the same goal – to be as good as we possibly can when Chase (Elliott) gets back and win as many races as possible. We’re certainly still in the owner’s points and depending on how the waivers and all the rest of it goes; certainly, if Chase can come back and we can compete at a high level and win, we can be where we want to be with the driver side, too.
“There’s certainly a lot of changes that comes with this, but I think we all can learn and grow. Find ways to improve and be ready to go when the Playoffs come around.”
Berry said his primary focus will be on driving his Xfinity car in pursuit of a championship, but he isn’t discounting the opportunity he’ll have on Sundays.
“To get this opportunity to get some experience in a Cup car is great for me,” Berry said. “Obviously I want to be in the Cup Series one day, so you never know what could happen. We’re just trying to be realistic. As for this, I’ll be available for these guys whenever they need me and hopefully, I can do a good job for them.”
