Chase Elliott, while talking to reporters after the race, took the full burden for the violent crash that collected Christopher Bell during the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

This incident occurred on Lap 148 when both drivers were racing hard for second place. Elliott's car suddenly bobbled and bumped into Bell, and they both hit the outside wall badly, ending their races. They also ensured that a red flag was raised due to severe damage to the SAFER barrier.

Speaking after being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Elliott immediately apologized. “I feel okay. I just really, really hate that happened, first and foremost. I want to apologize to Bell and the whole 20 team. That was my fault. He ran on bottom, got loose. I thought I was going to spin, and I kind of committed to spinning out and just hoping I could save it, basically,” he said.

The crash occurred around Turn 3 when both drivers were entering the corner at nearly 300 km/h, showcasing that it could have gone drastically wrong.

Elliott then explained how the situation escalated. “As soon as I started to commit to spinning out, I didn't hook it right. And unfortunately, he was out there. So it was definitely a big one.”

He then pleaded his innocence by adding, “He races me with a lot of respect, and it was nothing intentional. I just stepped over the line and overcorrected.”

According to Joe Gibbs, Bell has sustained wrist and ankle injuries. “Christopher Bell’s wrist and ankle will need to be looked at further when he returns to North Carolina,” Gibbs said after the race.

The biggest burden of the crash also seems to be for Elliott himself, who believed that the No. 9 Chevrolet had genuine speed and chances of winning. Fresh off a Stage 2 victory, he said, “I thought we were in the mix. I thought we had a shot... I thought that we had a legitimate shot to go for the win.”

Even though the consequences for Elliott seem clear, in his own words, let's see how the crash changed the race for others on the grid.

How the late restart helped Hamlin take complete control

The late red flag didn't hand Denny Hamlin the lead, but it did create the opportunity for him to take control of the race.

Hamlin capitalized on the restart, making an aggressive move to get past Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar before taking the lead for good with 38 laps remaining.

“Yeah, I truthfully didn’t think that we were gonna clear. I think that, you know, being with the three wide, they were still dragging each other, and so I couldn’t, you know, it allowed me to get clear there,” said Hamlin about that pass.

Once out front, Hamlin was in a league of his own. He led the final 39 laps and crossed the finish line 11.110 seconds ahead of the field. It marked the largest victory margin of his NASCAR Cup Series career and the biggest at Michigan since 1991.

The restart also reshuffled the running order behind him, allowing many drivers like Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Carson Hocevar, and Daniel Suarez to improve their track position and finish better.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason