Jeff Gordon provides Chase Elliott update on a potential return from injury

Chase Elliott continues to recover from the injury he suffered a month ago (March 3). Elliott fractured his left leg in a skiing accident in Colorado on the weekend NASCAR raced in Las Vegas.

Hendrick Motorsports announced on March 7 that Elliott's recovery would last six weeks. The team is still sticking to this timeline as it evaluates the situation every week.

Hendrick Motorsports vice president Jeff Gordon recently admitted that Elliott could be back in after two weeks for the race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. In response to a question from NBC Sports, Gordon replied:

"I think that’s still the target, It’s a week-to-week thing based on his doctors and what they’re seeing and how the recovery is going."

While the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion is recovering, the #9 car continues its impressive run at the hands of the substitute drivers, Josh Berry and Jordan Taylor. Berry has been particularly impressive with progressive results each week.

Chase Elliott missed his fifth consecutive race after the Richmond race. Since Elliott's hiatus, Berry has driven the #9 on four occasions and Taylor in one road course event.

#9 Chevrolet driver Josh Berry

Before Berry joined Hendrick Motorsports for his cameo role, he had two starts in the Cup Series. However, the Xfinity regular has shown promising pace after his first outing, where his race was affected by teething issues.

He finished 29th in his first start this season followed by a top-ten finish in Phoenix. An 18th-place finish in Atlanta was followed by a runner-up finish in Richmond, where he beat the other two regular drivers.

Berry's latest performance has drawn praise from the team and fans alike.

Jordan Taylor also left his mark by making an appearance in NASCAR's first road course race of the year at the Circuit of the Americas. The road course ringer put in a stunning qualifying lap to qualify fourth for the race. However, Sunday's race proved to be a tough ordeal for the SportsCar ace as he dropped down the order, finishing the race in 24th position.

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Chase Elliott hasn't dodged the bullet, as Hendrick Motorsports wins the appeal

While Chase Elliott was out of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports endured a hectic time as all four entries from the team were penalized for modifying the hood louvers.

After an appeal made by the team, the appeals panel restored the driver, owner, and playoff points that NASCAR had previously stripped.

Chase Elliott had initially dodged the bullet as he was not part of the team for the Phoenix weekend and thus wasn't docked any points. However, the #9 driver gains no ground after his teammates regained the lost points. The 27-year-old is missing out on wins and solid points as HMS continues its dominant run after the setback.