Chase Elliott fans can get excited as the defending Most Popular Driver returns to the #9 NAPA Chevy.
After missing six races due to a broken tibia, Elliott announced on Twitter he will be back for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville.
Hendrick Motorsports elaborated with a statement on their website. The team stated that NASCAR medically cleared Elliott, who spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Chevrolet’s simulator. After two days of testing, Elliott decided to return to the car.
In addition, Hendrick announced that Elliott received a medical waiver to be eligible for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Elliott sits 34th in points, but if he wins, that immediately puts him in a playoff spot.
Elliott finished 38th and second at Daytona and Fontana, respectively, before missing the Vegas race. JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry filled in for Elliott for five races, scoring 10th at Phoenix and a career-high second-place finish at Richmond. Sports car ace Jordan Taylor took over at Circuit of the Americas, where he qualified an impressive fourth and finished 24th.
Given that Berry is a short-track superstar, it would’ve been nice to see how he would do at Martinsville, but it’s great to see Elliott back. Elliott enters a stretch of tracks that have been good to him, winning at Martinsville, Talladega, Dover, and Kansas in his Cup career.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp