At Newton, Iowa, Christopher Bell took responsibility and directly apologized to Zane Smith’s team after the late-race collision at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend. Bell’s apology came after he caused a wreck involving Smith during overtime, continuing a frustrating streak for Smith, who has lost numerous positions in the closing laps of three consecutive races.
Bell Reflects on His Driving Error at Indianapolis
Bell detailed the moment he made the critical move that led to the crash, explaining he attempted a last-minute pass on Smith’s inside line to prevent him from reacting.
“I thought I could sweep underneath of him and clearly you wanted to be on the inside at Indy,”
Bell said.
“I tried to sweep underneath him, and I tried to make it as last minute as possible so that he couldn’t counter my move, and I misjudged my run, ran into the back of him and turned him to the right.”
Following the incident, Bell decided it was important to not only reach out to Smith but also confront Smith’s crew at Front Row Motorsports.
Confronting the Crew: Bell’s Moment of Accountability
Bell admitted feeling nervous about approaching the crew, recognizing their frustration was justified. Speaking at Iowa Speedway, he commented,
“I’m not going to lie, I was nervous, but I knew I deserved what was coming, so I’m like I’m going to own it. If I want to walk up there (into the team’s hauler) and they want to (yell at me with expletives) and tell me to get out, I deserved that in that moment.”
He also expressed his intention behind the apology:
“I felt like I owed them the respect. … I tried to show them accountability and tell them it was on me.”
#NASCAR … Christopher Bell said he made a mistake in making a move and that wrecked Zane Smith late in the race at Indy. Afterward, Bell went to each crew member of Smith’s team and apologized. I asked him what it was like to do that to people bigger than him and angry at him. pic.twitter.com/CqPY0msG0w— Dustin Long
Zane Smith’s String of Late-Race Setbacks
Despite Bell’s apology, the damage to Smith’s race results has already been done. Over the course of the last three events, Smith has lost nearly 50 spots in the final laps alone, highlighting the severe setbacks the driver and his team have endured recently.
Smith described the recent misfortunes, expressing frustration over factors beyond his control:
“The past two weeks, nothing has been in our control,”
he said.
“Last week was for sure going to be a top-10, top-five day. Unfortunately, it was taken from us. Same thing at Dover.”
Problems Emerge at Sonoma and Dover Before Indy Wreck
Smith acknowledged his own responsibility in some issues, especially at Sonoma. “Sonoma was on me,” he admitted. During that race, Smith’s team decided to remain on older tires late in the event, restarting eighth with 13 laps to go. However, a couple of cautions allowed challengers on fresher tires to close in.
Smith explained the vulnerability of that position:
“When that happens and you get closer to the end, you’re just so vulnerable.”
As a result, Smith dropped dramatically from seventh to 27th in the closing four laps.
At Dover, Smith was racing 14th before another unfortunate event unfolded in overtime. Ryan Preece’s car made contact with Smith’s, spinning him out and relegating Smith to a 22nd-place finish. Smith reflected on the incident, saying,
“I could hear (Preece) trying to gather it up. He just had a huge moment … nothing I could do there.”
Consequences and Continued Optimism for Smith’s Team
Smith was running 13th at Indy when Bell’s contact caused him to crash, resulting in a 31st-place finish. Across these three races, Smith has been pushed backward by 46 positions during their critical final laps.
Even with these setbacks, Smith emphasized the positive aspects of their performance.
“My whole team, they aren’t stupid, they see that we’re running good and have speed when this happens,”
he said.
“Now, if we were running 30th and get hooked, the guys are going to be pretty upset and just over it. It’s far from that situation. My team has done an incredible job of grinding away.”
Smith qualified 14th for Sunday’s Cup race at Iowa, with coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. Reflecting on their preparations, Smith commented,
“I feel like what we’ve unloaded some of these weekends, we just have a really good car.”
The focus for the team remains on translating their strong vehicle performance into well-deserved finishes moving forward.
