Jordan Taylor will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at COTA on March 26 as a stand-in for the injured Chase Elliott in the the No.9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Josh Berry, who drove the car in Las Vegas last weekend, will remain in at the wheel for the other races while Elliott is sidelined.
Elliott suffered a fractured tibia while snowboarding in Colorado last Froday and underwent a successful three-hour surgery that evening. He is currently in rehabilitation in Colorado. Elliott’s recovery is expected to take approximately six weeks.
Taylor, a three-time champion in IMSA’s DPi and GT classes and part of Corvette’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winning line-up in 2015, has been working with Hendrick Motorsports as driver coach for the Garage 56 program.
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
Berry, meanwhile, finished 29th in Vegas and lamented what could have been afterward, having been trapped a lap down early and suffering a few mechanical issues. The 32-year-old will dovetail running the oval Cup races with Hendrick with his full-time Xfinity Series ride with JR Motorsports, meaning he will pull double-duty at Phoenix Raceway this Sunday, and again at Atlanta on March 19.
“We’re focused on getting Chase back to 100%, so we’ll take however much time is necessary and make sure he has the best resources available,” said Rick Hendrick. “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.”
The first few races in April are Richmond Raceway April 2, the Bristol dirt event April 9, and Martinsville Speedway April 16.
