Chase Elliott’s flawless run of finishing every race this year came to an abrupt end during Saturday’s NASCAR Cup race at Richmond Raceway, with Kyle Busch responsible for causing the incident. The Team Hendrick driver’s impressive streak of consecutive race completions was snapped due to a collision involving Busch, marking his first DNF in 2025.
Elliott entered the race having completed 24 straight events this season without a single DNF, a streak that extended to 27 consecutive starts when factoring in the final three races from last year. This incident could potentially hurt his bid for the regular season championship, introducing uncertainty into his title hopes.
Collision at Richmond Ends Elliott’s Unbroken Finish Record
A significant 12-car wreck unfolded ahead of Elliott on the track, which he believed he might have avoided. However, Busch apparently did not notice Elliott approaching on the inside and made contact with his Chevrolet Camaro. This caused Elliott’s car to crash into the retaining wall, abruptly ending his race that night.
I’m sure he just didn’t know I was coming by on the bottom,
Elliott said after receiving treatment 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 also expressed his frustration:
I hate that, a good start to the night before it unraveled.
He finished last among the 38-car field, marking a sharp contrast to his prior consistency. Leading into this race, Elliott had achieved 26 consecutive finishes inside the top 20, going back to the latter part of last season. His streak of constant race completions made his departure even more disappointing.
Before Richmond, Elliott had only failed to remain on the lead lap once this season, which occurred at Bristol when he was one lap down. Otherwise, he had maintained a strong presence throughout every race.
Implications for Elliott’s Regular Season Championship Chances
Coming into the Richmond event, Elliott sat second in the Cup standings, trailing William Byron by 42 points. This wreck at Richmond, however, dims his prospects of overtaking Byron for the regular season title in the final race at Daytona next Sunday.
Even with a win at Daytona—his potential second of the year—Elliott would rely heavily on Byron having a disastrous finish for any chance to claim the regular season crown. This setback puts considerable pressure on Elliott’s title aspirations.
Despite the blow to his regular season ranking, Elliott still has the 10 playoff races following Daytona to pursue his second career Cup Championship. The playoffs offer him a fresh opportunity to compete for the overall season title despite this frustrating incident at Richmond.