LAS VEGAS, Nev.: Hendrick Motorsports substitute driver Josh Berry soldiered to a 29th-place finish in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
Berry was driving the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for an injured Chase Elliott.
Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion was heading to Las Vegas on the heels of a runner-up finish last Sunday at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway, suffered a fractured left tibia in a snowboarding accident Friday in Colorado.
Hendrick Motorsports has not stated a timetable for Elliott’s return. After a three-hour surgery on Friday night, the Dawsonville, Ga.-native was flown back to North Carolina where he watched the third Cup Series race of the season with team owner Rick Hendrick.
Elliott will start physical therapy for his injury on Monday.
Berry, the full-time Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports entered Sunday’s race with just two previous Cup Series races under his belt for Spire Motorsports in the old-generation Cup Series car.
This weekend, Berry adapted to the Gen 7 vehicle with 26 laps of practice on Saturday followed by a 32nd-place qualifying effort.
Throughout the race, the Hendersonville, Tenn.-native made strides aboard the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, despite making contact with the wall. By the end of Stage 2 and throughout Stage 3, the five-time Xfinity Series driver was turning lap times comparable with drivers wrestling for a spot inside the top-15.
Berry’s inaugural Cup Series debut for Hendrick Motorsports was also plagued by throttle issues which constituted him losing two laps to winner and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Berry. “Really I thought the first half of the race went pretty well. We were really close, right on the edge of staying on the lead lap or not. We just needed a couple more cautions to just give ourselves a better chance.
“The second half of the race, we had an issue going on with the throttle or something because every time I was letting off, it was hanging wide-open. I was just trying to nurse it home and keep it out of trouble.”
From a company perspective, mission accomplished.
“Josh did an amazing job for us, given the circumstances, given the fact that he’s not ever been in one of these Next Gen cars before,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Really, really happy with what he did for us today. We’ve got some things to work on.
“We think we had a little bit of an issue there. It was causing a little bit of issue with his throttle during the race. We’ve got to get it fixed and remedied, but really, really pleased with the job he did for us.”
Hendrick Motorsports has not announced who will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro until Elliott’s return. However, a decision is imminent.
“Obviously we’ve got to get together tomorrow morning and make some decisions pretty quick,” added Andrews. “We’ve obviously got to get a seat in the car, and then our haulers are planning on leaving late Tuesday afternoon, first part of the evening.
“We’ll be making that I would say early part of the day tomorrow.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email at: [email protected].
