NASCAR star Chase Elliott to undergo surgery following snowboarding accident

NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott, the Cup Series’ most popular driver, will undergo surgery on Friday after suffering a leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado.

Elliott will miss Sunday’s Cup Series race in Las Vegas, and a timeline for a possible return is unclear. Josh Berry will drive Elliott’s No. 9 car on Sunday.

According to Hendrick Motorsports, the team plans to share further updates on Elliott’s condition later this weekend.

Via Hendrick Motorsports:

“Chase’s health is our primary concern,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s spoken with several members of our team and is understandably disappointed to miss time in the car. Of course, he has our full support, and we’ll provide any resources he needs. We hope to share another update later this weekend.”

If Elliott is able to return to racing later this year, he’ll likely still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs via an injury waiver, but an extended absence would mean Elliott would have to win a race to earn his spot.

In 2015, Kyle Busch broke his leg and foot at Daytona in February, but later returned after missing the first 11 Cup Series races of the year and went on to win the 2015 Cup Series championship.