Chase Elliott’s streak of finishing every race thus far this season came to an end in Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup race at Richmond Raceway. And the Team Hendrick star and former Cup champion has Kyle Busch to blame for it.
Advertisement
Elliott entered the race with no DNFs in the first 24 events of 2025, a streak that stretched back to the final three races of last season, making it 27 consecutive starts without a DNF. It could also put Elliott’s chances of winning the regular season championship in jeopardy.
A major 12-car wreck occurred in front of Elliott, and he felt he would have avoided it. Unfortunately for Elliott, Busch apparently didn’t see his rival and clipped his car, sending Elliott’s Chevrolet Camaro into the retaining wall, ending the night for him.
Major implications for a regular-season championship contender. @chaseelliott was inches away from making it through the pileup at @RichmondRaceway. pic.twitter.com/2lHlyFFn35
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 17, 2025
“I’m sure he just didn’t know I was coming by on the bottom,” Elliott said after being cleared at the infield care center. “It was really awkward, we were kind of done wrecking. I hate that. I had the wreck missed, I thought, and was just trying to get by the last of it there at the end.
“Kyle must have maybe got some damage and got pointed back towards the bottom and there were a couple of us coming by down there.”
Elliott then added, “I hate that, a good start to the night before it unraveled.”
Elliott finished last in the 38-car field, marking the second straight race he’s finished below 20th after 26 consecutive races of all top-20 finishes, dating back to the latter stage of last season.
Even more frustrating for Elliott is coming into Saturday night’s race, he had finished all but one lap in this season’s first 24 races. The lone exception was finishing one lap down at Bristol.
Elliott will likely fall short of the regular season championship
Elliott came into Saturday’s race in second place in the Cup standings, 42 points behind William Byron. But with the wreck, it’s unlikely Elliott can roar back to take the regular season championship in next Sunday’s finale at Daytona.
Even if Elliott wins that race, which would be only his second victory of the season, Byron would have to have a terrible finish for Elliott to still have a chance at the championship.
But while he may be disappointed if he doesn’t win the regular season crown, Elliott still has 10 more races after Daytona in the Cup playoffs to chase his second career Cup championship.
