After going through the roughest season of his NASCAR Cup career, Chase Elliott had offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum.
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He and Denny Hamlin alike had concerns about their recovery from their offseason procedures.
Unlike Hamlin, who is still concerned about the season-opening Busch Light Clash, Elliott seems to be in a better place than his fellow driver, given his procedure wasn't as extreme as Hamlin's.
The 150-lap event at the Los Angeles Coliseum will be a good test for Elliott, as he looks to rebound from a winless 2023. Having Elliott good to go for the Clash is a huge boost for the event, as he is the sport's most popular driver, and despite his struggles, he still brings a lot of ratings for NASCAR.
Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass caught up with Elliott during NASCAR Production Day festivities at the Charlotte Convention Center, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The offseason shoulder procedure wasn't the only injury Elliot dealt with in 2023, as he also broke his left leg above the knee during the season, which forced him to miss six races.
Healing from both procedures have had their challenges Elliott told Pockrass.
"The knee was definitely worse, just way more complex of an injury," Elliott said. "But the rehab aspect of it? The shoulder, it's been no joke, too. But the procedure itself, the shoulder was very simple and straightforward. My knee was not."
Chase Elliott says he won’t have a backup driver at the Clash after offseason shoulder surgery. How he compares his shoulder surgery and rehab to that of his knee and leg and last year. pic.twitter.com/4pMz69AxML
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 19, 2024
"There's definitely aspects of (the rehab) that are painful and not fun," Elliott said. "Just trying to get your range of motion back and get things loosened back up again, is just difficult. Shoulders are kind of tricky."
Hopefully, this is the end of surgeries for the Hendrick Motorsports driver for the foreseeable future.
Elliott appears confident with the Clash being only a couple of weeks away. That confidence could do him wonders this season.
