Chase Elliott showed up at Richmond last weekend riding a perfect streak. He hadn’t scored a single DNF in the prior 24 races of the 2025 campaign. Dating back to last year, Elliott finished every one of his previous 27 Cup races. All that changed at Richmond, and Kyle Busch played a significant role in ending that run.
Elliott knows Busch’s move dashed his night and any regular-season championship hopes. Still, the Hendrick Motorsports driver appreciated that his Richard Childress Racing rival owned up to the mistake and apologized after the race.
Why Did Chase Elliott Choose Not to Blame Kyle Busch for Richmond Wreck?
Elliott made it clear Busch apologized after Saturday night’s collision that ruined his chance at the regular-season championship. Of course, Elliott was frustrated about how it all played out, but he called it an honest mistake and didn’t hold it against Busch.
The trouble started when Chase Briscoe checked up during a restart, slid into Busch’s lane, and sparked a massive 12-car crash down the front stretch. Elliott, who was close behind, thought he’d found a way around the chaos and nearly escaped unscathed.
But right as it looked like he was in the clear, Busch, apparently not seeing Elliott’s car, tapped the rear bumper of the No. 9 while weaving through wreckage. That sent Elliott hard into the wall and finished his night. Even then, Elliott didn’t direct any blame at Busch.
Chase Elliott said today that Kyle Busch reached out to apologize for the contact that ended Elliott’s race and regular season title hopes that Richmond. Seems like Kyle was just getting his bearings and didn’t realize other cars were coming through on the bottom.
Chase said he… pic.twitter.com/2THFcqsuxI
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 19, 2025
“Kyle did reach out to me,” the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion 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.”
“He didn’t realize 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.”
What Does This Setback Mean for Elliott’s 2025 Cup Standings?
Finishing last out of the 38-car field, Elliott marked his second straight race outside the top 20. Until 2025, he had completed every lap but one at Bristol.
Elliott entered Richmond sitting second in the Cup standings behind William Byron. With the aftermath of this crash, his shot at making up ground for the regular-season title during Saturday’s Daytona finale was wiped out.
Why Does Kyle Busch’s Apology Stand Out in NASCAR Circles?
Busch has a reputation throughout NASCAR for not backing down and rarely offering apologies. Nicknamed ‘Rowdy,’ the Cup Series veteran has been involved in some memorable run-ins, including his unapologetic move spinning Ron Hornaday Jr. in a 2011 Truck Series race and a fistfight with Joey Logano in 2017.
Given that kind of background, any apology from Busch gets noticed. Maybe Elliott chose to move on from the incident without holding a grudge.
