Returning Chase Elliott Defends Fateful Decision to Snowboard on NASCAR Day Off

• Chase Elliott was snowboarding in Colorado in early March following the season’s second race when he broke his left leg.

• The injury cost NASCAR's Most Popular Driver six races.

• Elliott, who plans to return to action this weekend, says fans and haters who say he shouldn't have been snowboarding in season won't deter him from doing what he loves doing.

A snowboarding accident that sidelined Chase Elliott for six weeks with a broken leg hasn’t changed the NASCAR champion’s attitude about participating in the activity he has done since childhood because he uses it as a training tool, just like some use a bicycle.

“The accident could have happened tripping down stairs or on a jog,” Elliott said. “I wasn’t out doing anything that was wild or crazy. I don’t agree with that viewpoint of well, you shouldn’t have been doing this or you shouldn’t have been doing that.

“I feel like I make decisions with my career in mind first, I always have, and this was no different. It was just … an unfortunate accident.”

Elliott was snowboarding in Colorado in early March following the season’s second race when he broke his left leg in what he called the “perfect storm” that could happen any time. Elliott contacted team owner Rick Hendrick and crew chief Alan Gustafson while still in the emergency room to inform them of the accident. He told them he didn’t think it was good, and they needed to get a substitute for the next race at Las Vegas. Elliott then underwent surgery at the Steadman Clinic, a U.S. Olympic National Medical Center in Vail, Colorado.

JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity driver Josh Berry was retained as Elliott’s substitute at the next five oval races and IMSA champion Jordan Taylor took over at the Circuit of the Americas. Berry will be at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in case Elliott needs relief during his first race back.

“It’s gonna be tough,” the 27-year-old Elliott admitted. “I was non-weight bearing for a number of weeks. When you’re not using a muscle on your body, you lose a large percentage of your muscle mass in just the first couple of weeks.

“I’ve tried to stay working out. I don’t know what the timeline will be for going on runs or a bike ride. I’m still a little ways off from those type of activities.

“I’d never had a surgery, so it’s been pretty eye opening just how some of that stuff works and how your body reacts to being cut on.”

During Elliott’s surgery, he had “a few screws” installed in the top of his left tibia, describing it as more knee located. He said his rehabilitation was “pretty standard” for the type of injury he incurred, which was not uncommon. He didn’t tear his ACL or meniscus, so no additional surgeries are planned. Elliott elected to remain at the Colorado facility for his initial rehabilitation because it’s well known as an orthopedic surgery center. He was aware of some athletes in other sports traveling to The Steadman Clinic for surgery.

“Not only was it a good location to get the surgery done, but then I thought of the rehab center and how closely they work with the clinic,” Elliott said. “I thought that was going to be my quickest road back and the best road back for my long-term health, too.”

Elliott said he and his doctors have conversed throughout his recovery and everyone believed “the integrity of the bone is to a point where I’m not going to hurt it.”

“The doctors got to a point where they were comfortable with it and they left it up to me to decide when I was ready,” Elliott continued.

After being cleared by doctors, Elliott spent Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning in Chevrolet’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator in Concord, N.C., before making his final decision to return at Martinsville Speedway.