Chase Elliott revealed that Kyle Busch reached out and apologized after their contact that ended his race at Richmond Raceway. While Elliott hated that the incident also ruined his regular-season championship hopes, he didn’t get mad at Busch, knowing from the start it was simply a mistake.On lap 198 of the Cook Out 400 at Richmond, Elliott was running in 27th when Chase Briscoe spun and started a multi-car wreck off turn three. He tried to slip through on the bottom, but Kyle Busch, escaping from the top, tagged him in the process, forcing the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the wall and out of the race.His DNF also sealed the regular-season championship for his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron. Along with the bragging rights, the title awarded Byron 15 playoff points, giving him a cushion for the elimination rounds.Speaking about the race-ending incident with Kyle Busch at the 0.75-mile track, the 2020 NASCAR champion said (via Steven Taranto on X):“Kyle did reach out to me. He apologized for what happened. I don't have any differing opinion on it. I was never mad at him. I knew it was a mistake right when I saw it. So, I don't... it sucks and I hated it.” [0:12]“It killed our night and then regular season championship hopes kind of all at the same time, but I knew that was nothing he did on purpose or wasn't anything aimed at us. It's just a way it all went down,” he added.While Chase Elliott settled with a DNF, Kyle Busch carried on and finished in 16th place. Austin Dillon took the checkered flag for his first win of the year, securing a playoff spot for the first time since 2022. Alex Bowman came home in second place, with the Team Penske trio of Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric completing the top five.Elliott is also returning to the playoffs following his win in the Atlanta summer race. He had a good chance to win the regular-season championship after avoiding DNFs all year, but the clash with Busch gave him his first.Chase Elliott shares a meme about his race-ending crash at RichmondDespite the disappointment at Richmond, Chase Elliott poked fun at his race-ending incident with Kyle Busch. On Instagram, he shared a meme featuring Shane Gillis edited into the backdrop of his crash, with the comedian saying, “Stuff like that? That's a load of cr**.”The 29-year-old Dawsonville native accompanied the post with a caption that reads:“On to Daytona I guess.”Chase Elliott drives the #9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports - Source: ImagnThe Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona is the last regular-season race of the year. Scheduled for 160 laps, the event will happen on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Only two playoff spots remain open, with Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman sitting above the cutline on points. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch is 173 points below the cutline, meaning he needs to secure a win this weekend to make the postseason.