NASCAR reveals change to Talladega backstretch after scary Christopher Bell wreck

After a scary wreck involving Christopher Bell, NASCAR will make a change to the Talladega backstretch before the drivers return to the track later this year. On the Hauler Talk podcast, NASCAR officials announced a section of the inside wall at Talladega Superspeedway will be modified.

Amanda Ellis, NASCAR senior director of racing communications said the decision was made to prevent the fall from jutting out like it was on Sunday, per NASCAR.com. “That wall will be corrected before we return in the fall,” Ellis said on Hauler Talk. “They’re going to take that lip out and straighten the wall as well that leads into that area.”

Mike Forde, NASCAR managing director of communications, said the wall was angled at roughly a five-degree angle because of an access road where emergency vehicles are stationed. “Making it more of a straight edge should help as far as the significance of these wrecks,” Forde said.

The wreck happened in the first stage of the Talladega race, and Denny Hamlin took the blame for the incident. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained what happened with the wreck that took out Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher.

Denny Hamlin made contact with Christopher Bell before the NASCAR Talladega wreck

“Fu*king racing, I don’t know,” Hamlin said. “We were running 177 mph is what it said. So, we’re not even up to speed. I have forever when I’m the fourth car in line pushing or inside, I always push the car all the way until Turn 3 after a restart and I have done that for forever and it’s never been a problem. It just spun out the 20 [Bell].”

Hamlin added, “C Bell should have been going slow enough, and we should have been going slow enough where he was able to take a slight push all the way around the track. When he went around, it wasn’t like — I can feel into the back of someone like how hard I’m into their bumper and I felt like I was barely there. When I like to bump draft, I don’t bump draft. I like push draft. I always slow down, get to their back bumper and then shove them forward. Never really like to hit them and knock them forward. So, I got on his bumper, laid on it and just stayed on that push all the way around and then next thing you know, I turned his ass right into the infield. It’s on me.”