WATCH: Chase Elliott admits he ‘was too scared’ to call Rick Hendrick after he broke his leg last season

Rick Hendrick is known for his fearful figure in the NASCAR field.

WATCH: Chase Elliott admits he ‘was too scared’ to call Rick Hendrick after he broke his leg last season

Chase Elliott and Rick Hendrick (Via IMAGO)

Last year Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott fractured his leg in a snowboarding accident ahead of the third race of the 2023 season. He missed out on six races due to the injury and it played a major role in him ending his year winless and missing playoffs. Now, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has given an insight into how he broke the news to his boss, Rick Hendrick.

Chase Elliott broke his left tibia and the incident had put the No.9 driver in a peculiar position to share this information with the team owner, Rick Hendrick. The Chevy driver was invited to a podcast ex-HMS driver and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and revealed how frightened he was to share this information with his boss.

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I texted Alan, and I said 'Hey can I call you? We got a problem.' I was too scared to call Rick[Hendrick] at this point.
Chase Elliott said via the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

The No.9 driver revealed that he first called Alan Gustafson, his car chief, to share this unexpected incident with him. Moreover, Elliott was frightened to call his boss due to his appalling aura and reveal his unavailability for the upcoming races.

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Rick Hendrick had an unbelievable reaction to Chase Elliott’s accident

Elliott had a call with his boss Hendrick later to inform him about his situation and feeling. Despite his fears, the conversation went better than anticipated. Hendrick was more concerned about Elliott injury over what’s ahead of him in the coming races then. The 2020 Champion was delighted to see his boss understanding situation and reacting the right way.

Hendrick Motorsport owner Rick Hendrick and driver Chase Elliott (Via IMAGO)
Rick Hendrick and Chase Elliott (Via IMAGO)
Believe it or not, I was shocked, but he took every bit of it just awesome. He didn’t even care about the weekend. He just worried about what was the process, how bad was it, when was surgery gonna be if I needed surgery, if he could do anything to help, and how long were we looking...It was unbelievable. I was shocked.
Chase Elliott said in the Dale Jr. Download podcast

Elliott, though he made his return, hasn’t recovered from the momentum he lost due to the incident. He is in a 14-race streak of finishes outside the top-5 while his teammates are winning races. The 2024 so far hasn’t been kind to him as well as he is yet to secure a top-10 finish. But Elliott has everything at his disposal to bounce back soon

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