Christopher Bell okay after massive head-on crash from the lead at Talladega

The NASCAR field was setting up for a final run to end the opening stage at Talladega, just minutes after three Cup champions collided at pit entry under green. On this restart, Christopher Bell led the outside lane and Chris Buescher led the inside lane. Neither driver would complete another full lap under green.

With their teammates pushing, the field sped through Turns 1 and 2 on the 52nd lap of the race. But at the corner exit, Bell abruptly spun to the inside, taking Buescher with him as they careened towards the inside wall. Buescher hit it with the driver’s door while Bell slammed the inside wall — which is protected by SAFER Barrier — nose-first, destroying the front of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Denny Hamlin, who was pushing Bell when he lost control, seemed confused on the radio. “What in the hell?” he radioed his team. “We weren’t even up to speed yet.”

While it didn’t look as violent as Bell’s impact, Buescher’s hit was fairly severe as well. “That [expletive] hurt,” he radioed to the #17 team. “Dumba****.”

Despite the severity of the impacts, both drivers were okay as they were checked and released from the infield care center. However, their race was over. Buescher finished 34th and Bell 35th in the final results.

“I think I feel really good,” said Bell. “I don’t know, my HANS device, my seat, my belts, everything seemed like it did well. It was a big one, that’s for sure.”

There wasn’t much Bell could do in that situation as he was just along for the ride. “Whenever you’re the car getting pushed, you’re completely at the mercy of the guy behind you,” said Bell. “You know, Denny (Hamlin) didn’t do anything wrong. You have to push, you have to push to be successful. It’s a product of the cars we race with this rules package.”

Connor Zilisch, who was leading on the final of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity race, took a similar impact with the inside wall. He was able to escape uninjured as well.

Photos from Talladega – Race