Josh Berry will remain Hendricks Motorsports’ primary fill-in for Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet on the NASCAR Cup Series, the team announced Tuesday.
Berry will be behind the wheel for five of the next six races: Sunday at Phoenix; March 19 at Atlanta; April 2 at Richmond, Va.; April 9 on the Bristol, Tenn., dirt track; and April 16 at Martinsville, Va.
Jordan Taylor will get a start at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on March 26.
Elliott, 27, sustained a broken leg in a snowboarding accident on Friday and is expected to be sidelined around six weeks.
Berry, 32, came in 29th on Sunday at Las Vegas in the No. 9 car while making his third start ever on NASCAR’s top series. Taylor, 31, has never started on the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement, “We’re focused on getting Chase back to 100 percent, so we’ll take however much time is necessary and make sure he has the best resources available. Josh was impressive this weekend under difficult circumstances, and we look forward to having him drive the oval tracks until Chase is able to return.
“Jordan is a world-class road racer and has recently been working with our Garage 56 team preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’ll be able to step in and do a great job at COTA.”
Berry posted on Twitter, “Thankful for the continued opportunity at @TeamHendrick while @chaseelliott continues to recover. His health and return is at the top of the list for all of us. In the meantime, we have and will continue to put in the work going forward to reach our potential. Onto PHX”
Thankful for the continued opportunity at @TeamHendrick while @chaseelliott continues to recover. His health and return is at the top of the list for all of us.
In the meantime, we have and will continue to put in the work going forward to reach our potential. Onto PHX ????
— Josh Berry (@joshberry) March 8, 2023
Taylor tweeted, “So honored to be asked by @TeamHendrick to fill in for Chase at Circuit of the Americas in the #9 car. This is obviously under difficult circumstances with Chase being injured. It is going to be a heck of a learning curve, but I hope we can make him proud while he’s recovering.”
So honored to be asked by @TeamHendrick to fill in for Chase at Circuit of the Americas in the #9 car. This is obviously under difficult circumstances with Chase being injured. It is going to be a heck of a learning curve, but I hope we can make him proud while he’s recovering. pic.twitter.com/3mg0WYN5VJ
— Jordan Taylor (@jordan10taylor) March 7, 2023
–Field Level Media
