Chase Elliott Expected to Miss Six Weeks; Josh Berry, Jordan Taylor Taking On Fill-In Roles

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Coppley, HHP, Courtesy of Team Chevy

As Chase Elliott continues to recover from a broken left tibia, Hendrick Motorsports has announced that Josh Berry and Jordan Taylor will serve as the organization’s interim drivers of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro.

According to a statement from the organization on Tuesday, Elliott’s recovery is expected to see him sidelined for the next six weeks, which will include events at Phoenix, Atlanta, COTA, Richmond, Bristol Dirt, and Martinsville.

Berry, who served as a last-minute fill-in for the team at Las Vegas, will pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro in five of the next six events, all on ovals, starting with Sunday’s event from Phoenix Raceway.

Meanwhile, Jordan Taylor, an accomplished road racer, will pilot the Hendrick Motorsports entry at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), in what will mark his NASCAR Cup Series debut.

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Chase Elliott Likely to Receive Playoff Waiver Upon Return, Per NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer

Photo Credit: Craig White / TobyChristie.com

One of the hot-button topics throughout the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway pertained to NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott, who sustained a fracture to his left tibia in a snowboarding accident in Colorado on Friday.

Elliott, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, was replaced by Josh Berry for last weekend’s event at Las Vegas. The organization has yet to announce a replacement driver for Phoenix and beyond.

However, one of the bigger questions surrounding Elliott’s current situation, is whether or not he will be receiving a post-season waiver – which would allow him to miss races while maintaining his championship eligibility.

“We’re still in the very early stages of this – and I can’t emphasize this enough, where our focus as an industry is to make sure that Chase [Elliott] is healthy, and that he’s ready to come back,” said Sawyer. “Once he’s medically cleared, then we will start the – we’re looking at the process today, but as we gather more information, he’s medically cleared to come back, then I wouldn’t see any reason that he wouldn’t be granted the waiver, but we’ll go through that process and make sure we’re checking all the boxes.”

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Carson Hocevar Running Six Xfinity Series Races in Newly-Formed Spire Motorsports No. 77

PHOTO CREDIT: Craig White, TobyChristie.com

Carson Hocevar will get the opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a part-time basis this season, piloting the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports in six events.

Hocevar, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Niece Motorsports, will make his series debut at Dover Motor Speedway (April 29). Sponsorship for the six-race effort will come from Premier Security Solutions.

Kevin “Bono” Manion and Mike Greci will be leading the NASCAR Xfinity Series effort for Spire Motorsports. The organization is scheduled to have technical support from JR Motorsports, a championship-winning organization.

Following his series debut at Dover, Hocevar will return to the series for an additional five events, including Charlotte (May 27), Nashville (June 24), Michigan (August 5), Darlington (September 2), and Bristol (September 15).

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Garrett Smithley Moves to DGM Racing, Piloting No. 91 in Multiple Xfinity Races

PHOTO CREDIT: BJ McLeod Motorsports, Twitter

Garrett Smithley, who was scheduled to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season for BJ McLeod Motorsports, has moved to DGM Racing for Saturday’s event at Phoenix Raceway, as well as several other races.

Smithley, 30, posted a statement to Twitter on Tuesday, outlining his move to DGM Racing, effective immediately.

“This weekend at Phoenix Raceway I will drive the No. 91 DozenWinchParts.com Chevrolet for DGM Racing, with plans to run additional races with the team this season,” the statement reads. “Mario and Michelle Gosselin, thank you for picking me up when I was down, the opportunity to drive your race cars is an honor.”

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