Fans were stunned as Christopher Bell‘s participation in the Talladega race concluded abruptly after a horrendous crash on the concluding laps of the first stage of Jack Link’s 500 held on a Sunday. While Bell held the first position, he lost control of his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing toyota/”>Toyota, slid along the track, and had a crushing encounter with the RFK Racing driver, Chris Buescher. The impact led to a fierce collision against the inside wall of the backstretch.
This devastating mishap concluded Bell’s race prematurely, just after the 52nd lap of the 188-lap event. Bell’s terrifying run rang alarms on social media, with numerous fans reacting to the harsh incident. Some fans expressed their relief as they noted that Bell, proud native of Oklahoma, managed to come out of the crash unscathed.
Questions were also raised regarding Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing mate, Denny Hamlin‘s, involvement in the mishap. The incident occurred when Hamlin’s #20 car was pushing Bell’s car in the draft, causing it to lose control and crash. It led to Bell finishing at the 35th place in the race, marking it the most significant professional setback of the season for the JGR driver. Despite the mishap, Bell is a consistent performer with three racing victories in 2025, and holds a strong position in the points standings, sitting at fifth place after 10 races.
In the race crucial to maintaining his lead, Bell encountered a disastrous crash at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday after being hit by Denny Hamlin. However, Bell defended his teammate, stating that Hamlin wasn’t at fault for the incident. Bell expressed that pushing or drafting is an essential strategy at tracks like Talladega, and understood Hamlin’s intention wasn’t to cause him to wreck. This statement was highlighted by racing insider Kelly Crandall in a follow-up.
Currently in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and his fifth with Joe Gibbs Racing, Christopher Bell has successfully earned 12 career Cup victories. All victories came behind the wheel of the #20 JGR Toyota. He took part in the Championship 4 race in 2022 and 2023 but is still eyeing his first Cup title following his unsuccessful attempts in both seasons.
The shocking development of Bell’s crash will likely have repercussions on upcoming races, but he remains a strong contender. Be sure to follow the latest news on NASCAR for all-star race updates, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, and top stories.
