Chase Elliott will be back in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Noco 400 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia just six weeks after sustaining a fractured tibia during a snowboarding incident in Colorado.
Elliott, 27, was medically cleared Tuesday and then was tested Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning in the Driver-in-the-Loop simulator in Concord, N.C., before Hendrick Motorsports announced his return on Wednesday.
“We’re looking forward to having Chase back in his race car to pick up where he left off,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Since the injury, he’s worked extremely hard and focused all his time and energy on returning to the No. 9 team. Throughout the last six weeks, he’s stayed fully engaged with everything we’re doing, and we know he’s champing at the bit to get on the racetrack and compete for wins.”
Said Elliott on Twitter: “See y’all at Martinsville.”
Elliott underwent surgery in Vail, Colo., to repair the tibia and later returned to his home in Dawsonville, Ga., to continue his rehab efforts.
The 2020 Cup Series champion missed the last six races. Josh Berry drove the No. 9 car in five of the events and Jordan Taylor handled the duties in the other race.