Christopher Bell pays the price of being ‘at the mercy’ of Denny Hamlin at Talladega

NASCAR driver Christopher Bell was involved in a harsh wreck in the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. Following the end of the race, the Toyota driver shared his thoughts on the matter.

Piloting Joe Gibbs Racing's #20 Toyota Camry XSE, Christopher Bell started the Jack Link's 500 just outside the top ten, lining up in P11. As the end of Stage One approached, Bell, who was leading the outside line, received a push from teammate Denny Hamlin on lap 51. The 30-year-old lost control of his #20 machine and slammed into the wall, ending his day early at Talladega.

Following the race, the #20 driver reflected on the impact of the crash, calling it a 'big one.' He said (via Speedway Digest):

“I think I feel really good. I don’t know, my HANS device, my seat, my belts, everything seemed like it did well. It was a big one, that’s for sure.”

Bell further recognized Talladega as a drafting track and acknowledged Denny Hamlin’s effort to push him ahead of the competition. Bell made it clear there were no hard feelings toward his teammate, understanding that such incidents are part of the challenges that come with superspeedway racing.

"Whenever you’re the car getting pushed, you’re completely at the mercy of the guy behind you. You know, Denny (Hamlin) didn’t do anything wrong. You have to push, you have to push to be successful. It’s a product of the cars we race with this rules package," he added.

Former NASCAR Truck Series champion Christopher Bell has put together a strong 2025 campaign. In 10 races so far, he’s finished outside the top ten only four times, highlighted by a standout stretch of three consecutive wins at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix.

He’s added two more podium finishes at Martinsville and Darlington, showcasing impressive consistency early in the season. Following the DNF at Talladega, the #20 Toyota driver dropped down to fifth in the driver standings, only 10 points behind Chase Elliott, who finished in P5 at Talladega.

Fans react as Christopher Bell suffers scary wreck at Talladega

NASCAR fans in attendance and those watching from home didn’t hold back in sharing their reactions to the hard hit that Christopher Bell took at Talladega Superspeedway. The JGR driver walked away from the wreck without injury, with a DNF being the only setback on a day that could have ended much worse.

"Absolutely brutal hit. That wall shock like crazy from that hit. Insane," a fan wrote on X.

"SCARY hit glad my goat Bell is okay," a user expressed.

One fan criticized Bell's teammate Denny Hamlin for hitting 'a new low.'

"Denny wrecking his own teammate is a new low for that fool," the fan wrote.

Hamlin finished the Jack Link's 500 in P21. JGR's newest driver, Chase Briscoe, secured the best result for his team after securing a P15 finish. Meanwhile, Penske driver Austin Cindric drove down victory lane for the first time this season, marking him as the sixth different race winner in 2025.