Chase Elliott-Commenced Hendrick Motorsports Downfall Continues, Insider Drops Bombshell Revelation on Star Driver

After being entangled in an ugly car crash in West Burlington Iowa, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman sustained a broken vertebra. Owing to his injury, questions about the driver’s return to the Cup Series track began doing rounds. And amidst all the speculations surrounding his recovery, fans want to know if Bowman will be back in time to make it to the playoffs.

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Laying all conjectures to rest and sharing an update on the driver’s health and probable time frame of recovery, Hendrick Motorsports president and General manager Jeff Andrews revealed prior to the press conference at Dover,

“Obviously you know by now, Alex [Bowman] had an accident in his sprint car this week. In fact, you know what we obviously can’t get too deep into the medical aspect of it – but he has a fractured vertebrae. And the timeline he’s been given is somewhere in the three to four-week range before he’ll be ready to return. “That’s really all we know right now. Talked to him yesterday. He’s home and resting. Some pain – it comes and goes for him. But overall, he’s in good spirits and we look forward to getting him back as soon as he’s ready.”

Should Hendrick Motorsports take a deeper look at their drivers’ off-track activities?

This is the second time in the 2023 season that a Hendrick Motorsports driver has suffered a severe injury due to an off-the-Cup track event. Before Alex Bowman, the #9 driver Chase Elliott missed six Cup races due to an injury he sustained during a snowboarding accident.

Curious about the team’s outlook on the second consequent driver injury, a NASCAR reporter asked HMS official Jeff Andrews if the team would be taking a deeper look at what the drivers can and can’t do. To this, Andrews replied,

“I think from that aspect, we always discuss with them and have conversations. There’s a process that we have in place when they do want to run racing events outside of the Cup Series. That’s still in place, that was in place. For this race, we were very aware of Alex’s schedule throughout the season for this sprint car.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Experienced Kyle Busch Warns Chase Elliott About the Nightmarish Challenges Ahead, Having Suffered Career-Defining Injury Himself

Why the Chase Elliott injury was different from Alex Bowman’s?

While talking about the team’s policy on driver activities outside of Cup Series races, Jeff Andrews explained why the situations of Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are quite different. He said,

“We look at Chase and Alex’s situation as two different situations. This is the first extracurricular racing accident that we’ve had that’s taken one of our drivers out here for three weeks. Chase’s situation was a snowboarding kind of recreational accident.”

Alex Bowman had put forth a great performance this season, before the unfortunate series of events that led to his injury. Ranking 9th in the Cup standings, Bowman will be replaced by Josh Berry for the upcoming races this season.

Written by

Devyani Sharma

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Devyani Sharma is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. With a portfolio of several in-depth and behind-the -scene stories, she is highly regarded for her ability to provide a nuanced and balanced perspective on the sport. With a Master's Degree in English literature, Devyani places great importance on the power of words and their ability to connect with Motorheads. Devyani is a devoted fan of Hendrick Motorsports, drawn to the team's illustrious history and robust driver lineup. She is particularly enthusiastic about Chase Elliott, who she believes possesses the skills and mindset to become the next big name in NASCAR. Devyani's passion for both motorsports and writing has culminated in a successful career as a NASCAR journalist. When not watching the races, Devyani indulges in her love of fiction novels and sci-fi movies.

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Nischal Kandpal

Chase Elliott-Commenced Hendrick Motorsports Downfall Continues, Insider Drops Bombshell Revelation on Star Driver

Chase Elliott-Commenced Hendrick Motorsports Downfall Continues, Insider Drops Bombshell Revelation on Star Driver

Should Hendrick Motorsports take a deeper look at their drivers’ off-track activities?

Why the Chase Elliott injury was different from Alex Bowman’s?

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Edited by

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