Chase Elliott provides big update about his NASCAR return

Chase Elliott will take the wheel of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott injured his leg while snowboarding on March 3 and has missed six Cup events since. He had surgery and has been undergoing recovery.

NASCAR has approved the Hendrick Motorsports driver to compete this weekend. He has received clearance from NASCAR to be eligible for the playoffs despite not appearing in every race. With 18 races remaining and Elliott already 134 points behind the playoff threshold, Elliott will almost certainly need to win a race to qualify for the playoffs.

Elliott was cleared to drive by Hendrick Motorsports on Tuesday (April 11). He practiced in the Chevrolet simulator on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the team concluded on Wednesday that he will be able to participate this weekend.

"We’re looking forward to having Chase back in his race car to pick up where he left off, since the injury, he’s worked extremely hard and focused all his time and energy on returning to the No. 9 team," team owner Rick Hendrick stated in a release by the team.

"Throughout the last six weeks, he’s stayed fully engaged with everything we’re doing, and we know he’s chomping at the bit to get on the racetrack and compete for wins," Hendrick added.

On the night of the accident, Elliott, the 2020 Cup winner, underwent a three-hour operation to fix his shattered left tibia. He spent most of his time in Colorado recovering before returning to Georgia in late March. He spent Tuesday and Wednesday morning in a Chevrolet racing simulator to see whether he could race at Martinsville.

The 400-lap race at Martinsville, the circuit's shortest track at a 0.526-mile flat oval, would undoubtedly put a strain on his left leg, which he generally uses to control the brakes.

JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry has filled in for Elliott in five of the six races he has missed. Meanwhile, road-racing sensation Jordan Taylor has been named to the Circuit of the Americas road track.

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team sit 20th in the standings. They are 19 points under the cutoff for the "owner" playoffs, which follow the same rules as the driver playoffs and decide season-ending bonus money.

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Chase Elliott's stats in NASCAR

Chase Elliott missed six NASCAR races after injuring his leg in a snowboarding accident. Josh Berry filled in for Elliott in those races.

Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, inked a deal with Hendrick when he was 14 years old. Since then, he has won 18 NASCAR Cup races and has competed in the title race for the last three years. Elliott is the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, the '22 regular-season champion, the '16 Spring Cup Series rookie of the year, and a five-time fan favorite.

Chase Elliott will make his return at Martinsville this weekend with Hendrick Motorsport.