Chase Elliott has no anger towards Kyle Busch, who wrecked him during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond. While speaking to reporters this week, Elliott was asked if Busch reached out to him after the wreck ended his chances of winning a regular-season championship.
“Kyle did reach out to me,” Chase Elliott said. “He apologized for what happened. 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 and I hate it.
“It obviously killed our night and our regular-season championship hopes, kind of all at the same time. But I knew it was nothing that he (Busch) did on purpose. It wasn’t anything aimed at us. It was just the way that it all went down, and unfortunately, we were on the bad end of it.”
Chase Elliott shares more of conversation with Kyle Busch
Elliott was then asked if Kyle Busch shared any details about what caused him to get involved in the crash. “He didn’t say anything specific,” Elliott said. “I don’t think he realized we were all coming by down there on the bottom. Obviously, he just got through the wreck like a lot of us who had kind of been in it. When that stuff happens, it’s just really hard to pick up and recognize where everyone is at. There was a lot going on, and I totally get it.”
The wreck happened on Lap 199 of the 400-lap race. Busch hit Elliott’s right rear, and it led to him earning his first DNF of the season. With the wreck, William Byron clinched the regular season championship and an additional 15 playoff points.
The wreck came nearly one week after Elliott finished 26th at Watkins Glen. The Georgia native will compete in the playoffs, as he clinched a spot after winning the Atlanta race on June 28.
Elliott is looking to win the second NASCAR Cup Series title of his career. He won the title in 2020 after winning the final race in the Round of Eight and the Championship 4 race the following week. In his career, Elliott has won 20 Cup Series races and has been named NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver for the last seven seasons.
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