It had been a protracted six weeks of sitting on the sofa below the air conditioner for Chase Elliott earlier than his return to the NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway in mid-April. The NASCAR Cup Collection hottest driver sustained a damaged left leg throughout a snowboarding accident in early March and had simply been methodically constructing himself again as much as a return.

Many anticipated Elliott to have a tough time on the course with the breaking the course requires and the stress that will place on the repaired leg. However he confirmed no rust, ending tenth after beginning the race within the twenty fourth place. He adopted that up with a 14th place end on the GEICO 500 this previous weekend in Talladega. They’ve been nice momentum builders because the Hendrick Motorsports driver appears to proceed bettering heading into the summer time months.

Whereas he nonetheless has some work left to do in growing the energy and vary of movement within the leg, Elliott is grateful to be again competing. Not too long ago being added to NASCAR’s 75 Biggest Drivers listing, he shared his suggestions for getting again on the monitor with M&F.

1. Focus On What You Can Management

I’m a fairly sensible particular person. I knew I used to be harm earlier than I even bought the X-rays. I had a fairly good feeling I wasn’t racing that weekend. I had by no means harm myself or needed to have surgical procedure in my life. It was uncharted territory for me however the best way I checked out it was that I couldn’t do something about it as soon as it occurred and when you get the fact of what the damage is, how lengthy surgical procedure goes to be, and what the restoration goes to seem like, I simply actually began listening to the medical doctors and placing in as a lot effort and work in on my finish to ensure I stayed on schedule. I believe I’m in all probability a couple of weeks out of being fully cell and again to regular because it pertains to flexibility and athletic motion — definitely getting round and constructing energy again in my leg and knee. It’s in a very good place and I’ve been pleased with that. I’m simply working by way of it.

My precedence was getting again within the automobile and simply getting again to work from that standpoint. It was additionally about getting in place from a mobility and a bone-healing standpoint. I can’t actually do a lot about that half, however I can definitely work exhausting at constructing a few of that muscle again that was dormant for a month or so. However my essential precedence was getting again within the automobile and having the ability to carry out as I really feel l usually would. I used to be in a position to get again within the automobile [in Martinsville] and that was nice. I believe I’ve extra energy to construct again, and my mobility and vary of movement are going to proceed to be labored on.

2. Placing the Leg To The Take a look at

I’d say most common vehicles that folks drive and use the throttle and the break with their proper foot whereas the left foot doesn’t do a complete lot. For me, driving within the race automobile, I brake with my left foot and I’m utilizing that foot for the break and the clutch. Granted, we don’t use the clutch very a lot — primarily simply to brake — however there may be a whole lot of brake strain like in Martinsville. I knew again when the damage occurred, how the schedule lined up, I’d return someplace round Martinsville or Talladega and the physician wasn’t going to let me go till then. I went to the simulator and simply tried to place myself in these conditions of placing strain on the brakes and going it constantly, repeating lap instances, and repeating that for a protracted time frame. All these issues factored into getting the go-ahead to run final weekend.

3. Bracing for the Summer time

Whereas leg energy is essential, extra essential, is the surroundings you race in. From a warmth standpoint, it’s very heat within the automobile and your coronary heart price could be very excessive particularly for those who’re in a compromised place otherwise you’re pushing very exhausting. You continue to don’t have a whole lot of bodily motion and that’s normally one thing you don’t see in a whole lot of sports activities or once you’re within the gymnasium. In case your coronary heart price is up, you normally have a whole lot of movement, so it’s a novel factor for us. Being snug in these environments once more was massive as a result of it’s exhausting to coach for that, particularly once you’ve been sitting on the sofa for weeks within the AC. It was good to get again within the swing go issues and get hit within the face. I believe getting again used to that’s enormous as we get into the summer time months.

4. Nonetheless Some Work Left To Do

The bodily remedy facet has been constant since I’ve gotten harm. With my damage, the quad has a very exhausting time firing. Throughout the first couple of weeks, I misplaced a whole lot of muscle mass within the quad as a result of I couldn’t flex it. It’s been a whole lot of quad-strengthening exercises, a whole lot of leg raises, and knee extensions. The second half is getting the mobility and the vary of movement again within the knee — on the bending facet and the straightening facet has been exhausting for me. Usually, on a wholesome leg, your knee extends previous zero. You straighten it out and it will get all the best way to zero and also you get on the adverse facet once you’re standing together with your knees locked.

Getting that extension again was an enormous piece of the puzzle and I’m nonetheless engaged on getting that full vary again and protecting it unfastened. Quad energy and vary of movement have been the 2 key factors of focus since I’ve gotten out of surgical procedure and that appears to get higher week by week. There have been massive steps being made by way of weeks 4, 5, and 6 mark. Now, we’re attending to these finer particulars on the backend, simply making an attempt to get that final little bit. Now that I’m at a spot the place I can drive once more, I can preserve engaged on the opposite issues as we go alongside to try to get again to one hundred pc from an athletic standpoint.

5. A Little Assist Goes A Lengthy Manner

The followers have been extraordinarily supportive of me by way of this era and I’m grateful for his or her help as we proceed to work by way of it. With my friends and different drivers reaching out, providing their help, and catching up was actually cool as a result of they don’t have to try this. I assumed that claims rather a lot concerning the surroundings we race in and that my rivals have sufficient respect to say one thing has been very significant. To my staff on the No. 9 group to my teammates at Hendrick Motorsports on the store and the monitor, it’s been a whole lot of nice help, and persons are genuinely pleased to have me again. It actually meant rather a lot.

You’ll be able to tune in to FS1 at 2 p.m. ET this Sunday, Apr. 30 to see Chase compete on the NASCAR Cup Collection “Würth 400” from Dover Motor Speedway.