“You Don’t Have to Be a Hero” – Kyle Petty Has a Stern Message for Chase Elliott’s “Placeholder” NASCAR Replacement

This NASCAR Cup Series season has come with a lot of uncertainties for Chase Elliott. Last week an injury from the snowboarding accident led Chase to surgery that made him miss the race at Las Vegas. But Josh Berry, who filled in for Chase, received a serious message from Kyle Petty.

Though the race at Daytona 500 did not bring good news for Chase, at the Auto Club 400 race, he earned a second spot. That win was great news for both Chase and Hendrick Motorsports as a team. It contributed to the revival of energy that the team required to level up in the Cup Series. The results are quite evident in the Las Vegas race, where all three top positions were earned by Hendrick Motorsports drivers. But Josh Berry couldn’t perform well.

What did Kyle Petty mean by don’t be a hero?

Kyle Petty in an interview on NASCAR on NBC podcast, shared very important points for the placeholders. As per Petty, the new driver’s performance affects the team massively. He thinks so because in the team there are already very experienced drivers and the placeholder driver is not the one who can move the ball forward. Petty explains that all a stakeholder driver like Josh needs to do is to get in the car and drive to his best ability.

Explaining in detail what he expects of Berry on track while racing, he said, “Not put it in the wall, not put it in a rack. Run as many laps as he can keep that #9 car in contention point-wise and keep moving forward. Keep moving to follow. That didn’t work out for him today. But that’s your job as a relief driver. That’s just an unstated rule. That’s your job. Don’t go win the race. You don’t have to be a hero, just go do this.”

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Josh Berry’s first race with NextGen car

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It was not a good day for Josh Berry, who was driving at the Las Vegas race for an injured Chase Elliott. He finished the race in the 29th spot with a few hurdles on his way. It was the first time for Berry to compete in a NextGen car as he has only raced twice in previous Cup races that too in 2021. He drives for JR Motorsports and competes in the Xfinity Series otherwise.

His inexperience with the car may have been one of the reasons for his low performance. It was indeed a hard situation for Berry to step into. He also had a little mishap coming out of turn four. The Next Gen cars which are very different from the Xfinity race cars might have caused him trouble. Though he avoided contact with anyone else, he spun through the grass trying to give his best in the race. He finished two laps behind the winner, William Byron, his teammate.

Watch this Story: “Chase Fans in Shambles” – Chase Elliott Hit With Setback as Hendrick Motorsports Start 2023 With a Loss

Chase Elliott’s return, post his surgery, is not yet announced. Even with the best medical assistance possible today it is not confirmed yet that he might be able to compete in the next race. Will that be a setback for both Chase and Hendrick Motorsports?