Christopher Bell took responsibility for the crash that impacted Zane Smith’s performance during the overtime period at last weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bell reached out directly to Smith and his Front Row Motorsports crew to apologize after causing the wreck that contributed to Smith’s continuing difficulties in the final laps of recent races. This incident marks the third consecutive weekend where Smith has lost multiple positions in the closing stages, deepening concerns over his late-race struggles.

Bell Explains the Move That Backfired on Smith

Bell described his attempt to pass Smith on the inside as a last-second decision.

“I thought I could sweep underneath of him and clearly you wanted to be on the inside at Indy,”

Bell explained. He added,

“I tried to sweep underneath him, and I tried to make it as last minute as possible so that he couldn’t counter my move, and I misjudged my run, ran into the back of him and turned him to the right.”

Aware of the gravity of the error, Bell faced Smith’s larger and understandably upset crew members to express his regret.

Facing Smith’s Crew: Bell’s Moment of Accountability

Approaching Smith’s team after the crash left Bell feeling nervous but resolute to take full accountability. Reflecting on the experience during an interview at Iowa Speedway, Bell said,

“I’m not going to lie, I was nervous, but I knew I deserved what was coming, so I’m like I’m going to own it. If I want to walk up there (into the team’s hauler) and they want to (yell at me with expletives) and tell me to get out, I deserved that in that moment.”

He further expressed his respect for the team with,

“I felt like I owed them the respect. … I tried to show them accountability and tell them it was on me.”

Zane Smith Confronts Ongoing Setbacks in Final Laps

Though Bell expressed remorse, Smith’s late-race issues extend beyond the recent crash. Over the last three races, Smith has dropped about 50 positions collectively during critical final laps, severely impacting possible top finishes. Smith described the prior weeks as unpredictable and out of his control.

“The past two weeks, nothing has been in our control,”

Smith said, adding,

“Last week was for sure going to be a top-10, top-five day. Unfortunately, it was taken from us. Same thing at Dover.”

Recap of Smith’s Late-Race Challenges at Sonoma and Dover

Smith pinpointed the initial struggles beginning at Sonoma, where he took responsibility for strategic decisions. “Sonoma was on me,” Smith admitted after choosing to stay out on worn tires late in the race while others had fresher tires. Although he restarted eighth with 13 laps remaining, a sequence of cautions closed the gap on him, making him vulnerable. As Smith explained,

“When that happens and you get closer to the end, you’re just so vulnerable,”

which resulted in a drop from seventh to 27th in the race’s final four laps.

His troubles continued at Dover where Smith was running 14th before a late accident caused by Ryan Preece’s close contact spun him out. Smith finished 22nd after the incident, commenting,

“I could hear (Preece) trying to gather it up. He just had a huge moment … nothing I could do there.”

Impact of Bell’s Crash and Smith’s Current Standing

At Indianapolis, Smith was maintaining 13th place before Bell’s contact resulted in a wreck that demoted him to 31st by race end. Altogether, Smith has lost 46 positions in the closing laps over these recent events. Despite the setbacks, Smith underscored the positive signs from his team’s strong pace and competitive performances earlier in races.

“My whole team, they aren’t stupid, they see that we’re running good and have speed when this happens,”

Smith stated. He added,

“Now, if we were running 30th and get hooked, the guys are going to be pretty upset and just over it. It’s far from that situation. My team has done an incredible job of grinding away.”

Looking Ahead: Smith Ready for Redemption at Iowa Speedway

Smith qualified 14th for the upcoming Cup race at Iowa Speedway, scheduled for Sunday with coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. Emphasizing the quality of his car and team‘s efforts, Smith said,

“I feel like what we’ve unloaded some of these weekends, we just have a really good car.”

Now, the focus turns to converting that speed into a finishing result that reflects the team’s true potential and hard work, hopefully marking an end to his run of late-race misfortune.