CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Chase Elliott continues to recover from a snowboarding injury, Hendrick Motorsports is moving forward with who they want to race in his place.
On Tuesday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Josh Berry will continue to drive the No. 9 Chevrolet at oval tracks while Jordan Taylor will take over driving duties on road courses.
Elliott suffered a broken tibia while snowboarding in Colorado on March 3 which forced him to miss Sunday's race at Las Vegas. Elliott underwent successful surgery, according to Hendrick Motorsports but was initially given no timeline for his return to racing.
The team now says Elliott is expected to miss six weeks of action, with Berry and Taylor filling the role until Elliott's return.
“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,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.
Berry was rushed into the No. 9 after Elliott's injury and finished 29th in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was just the third NASCAR Cup Series start of his career.
Berry has won five races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for JR Motorsports with 2022 being his first full-time attempt at the series.
Taylor competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and is a three-time champion in the series. He previously competed in the now-defunct NASCAR Rolex Sports Car Series and won the series' final championship in 2013. He has never attempted a race in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hendrick Motorsports scored their first win of the season on Sunday at Las Vegas with a dominant performance from William Byron. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, creating a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick.