“Absolutely brutal”: Fans react as Christopher Bell suffers scary wreck at Talladega

Fans online reacted as Christopher Bell's day at Talladega ended early after a brutal crash in the final laps of the first stage of Sunday's Jack Link's 500. While running in first place, Bell's #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota slid down the track, collected RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, and collided with the backstretch inside wall head-on.

The crash ended Bell's day on just the 52nd lap of the 188-lap event. Numerous fans commented on Bell's scary crash on social media. A few X users highlighted the brutal impact Bell made with the inside retaining wall, with one writing:

A few more fans were relieved that the Oklahoma native walked away from the crash uninjured. One X user wrote:

There were also a few responses about Bell's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin's involvement in the incident. Hamlin was the one who was pushing Bell in the draft when his #20 car turned sideways and crashed. One user wrote:

Christopher Bell was credited with a 35th-place finish in Sunday's race after the incident, the worst finish of the season for the JGR driver. However, Bell has three victories in 2025, which came consecutively at Atlanta, CoTA, and Phoenix. After 10 races, Bell has scored five top fives and sits fifth in the points standings.

Christopher Bell didn't blame JGR teammate Denny Hamlin for Talladega Cup crash

Christopher Bell's race on Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway ended in disaster when he smashed into the inside retaining wall after contact from Denny Hamlin. However, the driver of the #20 car said his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate wasn't at fault for the incident.

At tracks such as Talladega, pushing or drafting is essential in keeping up with the lead pack. Per racing insider Kelly Crandall, Bell made it known after the incident that he knew Hamlin didn't wreck him on purpose but rather was doing what needed to be done at Talladega. Crandall highlighted Bell's comments via X, writing:

Christopher Bell is in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and his fifth full-time campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing. The former CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion has won 12 career Cup races, all coming behind the wheel of the #20 JGR Toyota.

Bell made two appearances in the Championship 4 race in 2022 and 2023. However, he failed to win in both seasons and is still seeking his first Cup title.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

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