Chase Elliott had finished in the top 20 in every race in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season until last week’s 26th-place finish at Watkins Glen.
Elliott still held a streak of no DNFs this season until he was caught up in a multi-car crash midway through the Cook Out 400 on Aug. 16 at Richmond Raceway.
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The No. 9 Chevrolet was able to get through the majority of a multi-car crash that included Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and others, but was clipped by an apparently unaware Busch well after the crash site and hit the wall head on in turn 4.
Busch played a major role in the crash, with he and Kyle Larson squeezing Briscoe to ignite the wreck.
The No. 9 Chevrolet stayed out on old tires in Stage 1 to save a set, but was penalized for vehicle interference after pitting during the stage break after a possible restart inside the top 10. Elliott never regained that track position, forcing him to be behind the crashing cars on Lap 198.
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Elliott will finish 38th, and the two poor finishes will doom his chances at winning the regular-season title and the 15 playoff points that come with it.
Among the drivers also in the crash, Justin Haley also will go to the garage. William Byron, the points leader, got damage from Elliott’s spin. Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Cole Custer also suffered damage but were still rolling on the lead lap.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Chase Elliott earns first DNF of season with hard crash in NASCAR Richmond race