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Chase Elliott opens up about ‘tricky’ recovery from shoulder surgery

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 1/19/24

The 2023 season was more or less a lost one for Chase Elliott. Now, coming off a “tricky” shoulder surgery recovery, he’s ready to go. Elliott will likely be doing whatever he can to stay healthy and avoid another NASCAR season like last year.

In the offseason, Chase Elliott had shoulder surgery to fix a nagging issue. While it was a minor procedure all things considered, recovery has been tough. Elliott has learned a lot about his shoulders and knees in the last 11 months or so.

Talking with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports during production day, Elliott explained his shoulder recovery and why it is different than his leg injury.

“I’m still working through it. But it’s been, yeah definitely aspects of it that are painful, not fun,” Elliott said. “Just getting your range of motion back and get things loosened back up again is difficult. Shoulders are kinda tricky, I didn’t realize just how many awkward ways you use your shoulder. But, I’ve learned more about shoulders and knees in the past year than I cared to know about prior to [my injury and shoulder].”

As far as which injury was worse? The knee.

“The knee was definitely worse, just way more complex of an injury,” Elliott continued. “But the rehab aspect of it, the shoulder, it’s been no joke, too. 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

When Chase Elliott lines up for the Busch Light Clash in a few weeks, he won’t have a backup driver, either. So, it appears that all should be good and well by the time the season-opening exhibition starts practice.

Chase Elliott ready for a full 2024 season

Between his leg injury and his one-race suspension for right rear hooking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte, Chase Elliott had a rough 2023. No two ways about it. Still, he was able to salvage top-5 finishes and almost looked like he could win a couple of races here and there.

For the most part, it was a hard road to get to the end of the season. No wins, no playoffs, and nothing to really show for a full season’s efforts.

In 2024, I think we could see a new Chase Elliott, well a new version of the old Elliott. A return to his championship-caliber performances. The only thing is, he’s got more competition at Hendrick now than ever. His teammate rivalry with Kyle Larson is obvious, but now William Byron has emerged.

Hendrick Motorsports has a plethora of talent. That can be really good for them, or if it isn’t handled well, it could be bad. Teammate competition is great, but it shouldn’t overshadow the main goals at hand – win races, advance in the playoffs, win championships.

With a talented group at Hendrick, can Chase Elliott stand out once again with his performances on the track?

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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