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Slated to miss out on driving the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the foreseeable future, Chase Elliott's 2023 season is not going as per the Dawsonville, Georgia native's plans.
After suffering a fractured tibia in his left leg during a snowboarding accident in Colorado, Hendrick Motorsports' Elliott sat out last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas.
It has been confirmed that the 27-year-old will be out of action for the next six weeks as well, with his team putting out a formal statement regarding his recovery. With Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry filling in for him in Sin City, Elliott's championship standings have already started to take a blow, despite him missing just a single race so far.
Elliott stood on the driver's standings table in P14 with 49 points to his name after the race at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver's absence from just the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has dropped him to P24.
Out of the 34 drivers competing in the Cup Series, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion is expected to be in the last position by the time he makes his recovery and gets back behind the wheel once again.
The upcoming United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway will be the first of Chase Elliott's six-week absence from the sport, who is expected to slide to 30th in the driver's standings this weekend.
Sunday's (March 12) race will be shown live on FOX Sports from 3:30 pm ET.
Chase Elliott likely to receive waiver to appear in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
The NASCAR rulebook dictates that every driver needs to participate in every race of the regular season of stock car racing in order to be eligible to qualify for the playoffs, which ultimately decides the champion every year. Chase Elliott's absence from the sport since the Fontana weekend, however, might warrant a waiver in favor of the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
If the Georgia native manages to win a race after he returns to the sport having fully recovered, he would require a waiver to be granted by the governing body, excusing his absence from the regular season due to unforeseen events or medical emergencies.
According to various experts in the sport, Chase Elliott is likely to be granted the same upon his return.
