WATCH: When Chase Elliott flipped the bird on Kyle Busch after the latter wrecked him at Darlington 2020

NASCAR races are full of high-speed thrills, and the incident involving Chase Elliott at the Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway in 2020 was one such example. After starting the race in 17th position, Elliott was on his way to a podium finish, chasing Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch for the lead.

With fresher tires and 28 laps to go, Chase was going for the top spot. However, everything changed for the #9 driver when he went for the gap from the outside of Busch to claim 2nd position.

Busch's #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota nudged the left rear section of Elliott's Chevrolet, sending him hard into the pit wall before Turn 1, instantly ending his race. An angry Chase exited the car, stormed to the edge of the racetrack, and gave the bird to Kyle as he drove by.

As per protocol, in the event of a crash, the driver is supposed to go straight to the on-track medical center for evaluation. However, Hendrick Motorsports' star driver decided to vent his frustration on the race track rather than get into the medical car.

Despite the breach of protocol and unsportsmanlike behavior, NASCAR officials let Chase go without any sanctions.

"I get that mistakes happen and that’s part of life" - Chase Elliot on the Darlington 2020 crash

With 28 laps to go, Chase Elliott made a move for the second position, drafting comfortably behind the leader Denny Hamlin. He successfully passed Kyle Busch on the outside.

While trying to close the door for fast-approaching Kevin Harvick in fourth position, the #18 driver misjudged the gap between his Toyota and Elliott's Chevrolet. This minor miscalculation led to a crash and DNF for the angry #9 racer.

Busch re-took the 2nd position before a red flag for unpleasant weather ended the race, with 22 laps remaining. During the post-race interview, Busch took the full blame for the incident. He said,

“Obviously, I just made a mistake, misjudged the gap, sent him into the wall,"

Two days after the incident, the #9 driver cleared the air on a Zoom call with the media. He said,

“Much like I told him (Busch), I get that mistakes happen and that’s part of life. I get it, he’s just not a guy that makes many mistakes. For me to be on the poor end of a rare mistake on his end, at the end of the day, is unfortunate for me and my team.”

Despite a miserable opening to the season, Chase Elliott later went on to win the 2020 Cup Series Championship, becoming the second youngest driver to do so, at the age of 24.