Chase Elliott’s first DNF of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season came under unusual circumstances on Saturday at Richmond Raceway, being sent headfirst into the barrier by Kyle Busch after the two had seemingly cleared a multi-car wreck behind them. But it seems there is no bad blood between the two champions, with Elliott recently revealing that Busch had since touched base with him to discuss the incident.

In what was another forgettable weekend in what has been a mixed season for Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion was at the center of a mass wreck under the lights at the Cook Out 400, which wound up being won by injured teammate Austin Dillon.

After clipping Ross Chastain on lap 198, Busch, in the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet, then spun Chase Briscoe. As the 40-year-old braked to avoid further contact with Briscoe, Brad Keselowski got into the back of him, kicking off a wreck which Elliott managed to skirt around the bottom of in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

However, as Elliott came back up the track, he was tagged by Busch as he emerged from the mayhem, sending him straight into the wall, clipping William Byron on the way. Ultimately, only Elliott and Justin Haley in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet were unable to continue once the green flag fell once again.

Despite Busch’s undeniable role in the wreck, Elliott opted against blaming the veteran when speaking with FOX, simply saying, “I’m sure he just didn’t know I was coming by on the bottom.”

Now, having had some time to reflect on the incident, the 29-year-old has revealed that not only has his stance remained the same, but Busch had in fact reached out to apologize for the incident.

“Kyle did reach out to me. He apologized for what happened,” Elliott told Steve Taranto. “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. I hate it…

“It killed our night, our regular-season championship hopes kind of all at the same time. But I knew it was nothing that he did on purpose, and it wasn’t anything aimed at us; it was just the way that it all went down, and unfortunately, we were just on the bad end of it, but I’m not mad at him. I appreciate his message and him reaching out to me about it, but I’m not mad at him over the situation. It is what it is.”

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Adding context to how he read the situation, Elliott explained how Busch “had just gotten through the wreck like a lot of us had kind of been in it, and when that stuff happens, sometimes it’s just really hard to pick up and recognize where everyone is at. 

“Like you had some people that were coming by quicker on the bottom because they hadn’t totally gotten checked up by the crash, you had guys up top that were really slowed down, so there’s a big delta in speed, and sometimes it’s just very difficult to regain that whole picture really fast like that.”

The regular season crown wound up going to William Byron in the No 24. Hendrick Chevrolet after he managed to come home in 12th, leaving him 68 points ahead of Elliott in second with just Daytona remaining before the Playoffs begin.