Chase Elliott lifts lid on Kyle Busch message | Sports News

Chase Elliott’s first DNF of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season got here underneath uncommon circumstances on Saturday at Richmond Raceway, being despatched headfirst into the barrier by Kyle Busch after the 2 had seemingly cleared a multi-car wreck behind them. But it appears there may be no dangerous blood between the 2 champions, with Elliott not too long ago revealing that Busch had since touched base with him to debate the incident.

In what was one other forgettable weekend in what has been a combined season for Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion was on the middle of a mass wreck underneath the lights on the Cook Out 400, which wound up being received by injured teammate Austin Dillon.

After clipping Ross Chastain on lap 198, Busch, within the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet, then spun Chase Briscoe. As the 40-year-old braked to keep away from additional contact with Briscoe, Brad Keselowski acquired into the back of him, kicking off a wreck which Elliott managed to skirt across the backside of in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

However, as Elliott got here back up the monitor, he was tagged by Busch as he emerged from the mayhem, sending him straight into the wall, clipping William Byron on the way in which. Ultimately, solely Elliott and Justin Haley within the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet have been unable to proceed as soon as the inexperienced flag fell as soon as again.

Despite Busch’s simple function within the wreck, Elliott opted in opposition to blaming the veteran when talking with FOX, merely saying, “I’m sure he just didn’t know I was coming by on the bottom.”

Now, having had some time to mirror on the incident, the 29-year-old has revealed that not solely has his stance remained the identical, however Busch had the truth is reached out to apologize for the incident.

“Kyle did reach out to me. He apologized for what happened,” Elliott instructed Steve Taranto. “I don’t have any differing opinion on it. I was never mad at him. I knew it was a mistake right when I saw it. It sucks. I hate it…

“It killed our night, our regular-season championship hopes kind of all at the same time. But I knew it was nothing that he did on purpose, and it wasn’t anything aimed at us; it was just the way that it all went down, and unfortunately, we were just on the bad end of it, but I’m not mad at him. I appreciate his message and him reaching out to me about it, but I’m not mad at him over the situation. It is what it is.”

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Adding context to how he learn the state of affairs, Elliott defined how Busch “had just gotten through the wreck like a lot of us had kind of been in it, and when that stuff happens, sometimes it’s just really hard to pick up and recognize where everyone is at. 

“Like you had some people that were coming by quicker on the bottom because they hadn’t totally gotten checked up by the crash, you had guys up top that were really slowed down, so there’s a big delta in speed, and sometimes it’s just very difficult to regain that whole picture really fast like that.”

The common season crown wound up going to William Byron within the No 24. Hendrick Chevrolet after he managed to return home in twelfth, leaving him 68 factors forward of Elliott in second with simply Daytona remaining earlier than the Playoffs start.