Since 2018, Bubba Wallace has been living out his dream as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series, but it all hasn’t been sunshine and rainbows for the driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota Camry. Wallace is human, and as a human he makes mistakes, he does strange things when put under pressure, and despite doing what he always wanted to do, Wallace has been giving off the impression that he’s miserable around the racetrack.
A $50,000 fine from NASCAR for Wallace’s post-race contact on race-winner Alex Bowman on the cool-down lap of last weekend’s Chicago Street Race served as a wake-up call for Wallace. Instead of wallowing in self-pity about why he was penalized, the 30-year-old has accepted the penalty, and on Saturday in a media scrum at Pocono Raceway, Wallace apologized for his actions last Sunday, and his overall attitude that he feels he’s carried in the garage for several years.
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Wallace says that persona isn’t him and that it’s time for him to apologize for that.
“The penalty was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Wallace explained. “I’ve been miserable for years, walking around with a persona that I’m not proud of. I need to apologize to a lot of people.”
Wallace continued, “I’m just frustrated and trying way too hard and not focused on the right things.”
Not being focused on the right things is understandable for a NASCAR National Series driver, especially those in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Playoff format, while it provides a lot of opportunity in a sport that saw a handful of people as legitimate championship contenders prior to the adaptation of The Chase for the Cup in 2004, also creates an immense amount of pressure for those near the cutline, or in Wallace’s current situation, below the cutline.
When you’re without a win, and chasing the cutline, every point matters. Every last one. This is why being spun on Lap 24 at Chicago likely felt like such an injustice for a driver like Wallace, who is scratching and clawing just to try to have an opportunity to lock into the Playoffs.
To make matters worse, he’s had two solid top-10 runs foiled over the last three weeks.
In New Hampshire, Noah Gragson made an error in damp conditions around the 1.058-mile oval, which Wallace paid the price for. The end result was a 34th-place finish, and Wallace’s third DNF of the season.
Then this past weekend, Wallace was turned by Bowman, who, like Wallace, had yet to win a race prior to Chicago. Bowman spun Wallace, which mired him deep in the field, and caused him to rally for a 13th-place finish. Meanwhile, Bowman locked his place in the Playoffs with a win.
It was enough to send Wallace into a rage, and he attempted to settle the score by roughing up Bowman on the cool-down lap.
Wallace, who was suspended for one race back in 2022 after intentionally crashing Kyle Larson after Larson ran into him during a Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, says he finally has had an epiphany about NASCAR penalties and how they are levied in situations relating to retaliation.
“You know when things go south and why I retaliate, I’ve now realized, [NASCAR is] not going to really emphasize on what started it. They emphasize on what finished it,” Wallace stated.
Wallace, who says he will be turning over a new leaf, jokingly blames his father, Darrell Wallace, Sr., for his hot temper in unfair situations like being spun on Lap 24 at Chicago.
“I try not to start too much shit, but I was just raised to end it,” Wallace explained. “And I blame my dad. He is an eye-for-an-eye guy. He’s all about being fair. And at all costs of being fair. You punch me in the face, I’ll punch you in the face. And then we shake hands after it. We’re even. It only matters about the second punch. Which is kind of bullshit, but, [laughter].”
In the wake of the penalty this week, Wallace had a chance to speak with 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, a conversation that cut Wallace to his core. Harvick told the Alabama native to start coming to the track with the same fun-loving attitude that he has away from it. That analysis from Harvick helped Wallace realize that he had been living someone else’s life on the weekends in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. Now, he wants to just be himself.
Bubba Wallace on trying to be the person he wants to be, the pressures of the Cup level and why he reacted like he did last week at Chicago. pic.twitter.com/nfKO0xvpMi
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 13, 2024
“I think that has been one of the most important things told to me is that people don’t see who I actually am on Sundays. And that broke me, right? I always preach about being the same person on and off the racetrack,” Wallace said, holding back his emotions. “It’s a pressure cooker being at the Cup level, right? And the last four years, I’ve been miserable. Just trying to walk around like everything is okay. Not from a mental standpoint, I know I’m big on mental health. My mentals have been in check, but just trying to carry this persona like I said earlier, that, ‘Hey, don’t bother me right now, I’m too busy,’ and then when one thing goes wrong the whole thing crumbles.”
Wallace says things have been completely different for him since he arrived in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for this weekend’s The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
“I came into this weekend with a smile on my face, and wanting to have fun,” Wallace said. “And so, that’s what I’m focused on. I did not have fun in qualifying, I about crashed. That sucked. But it is what it is. I think last week, if this was right now, I’d be pissed off and didn’t want to talk to you guys. But you know what, you roll with the punches. You roll with the $50,000 fine. You roll with a P26 qualifying spot, and it is what it is. You’ve got another day to figure it out, go have fun, and pass a lot of cars. That’s where my mind is at. Penalties are penalties. I won’t be the last one to get one. We’ll see. You’ve just got to move on.”
We’ll get a chance to see how well Wallace thrives with his calmer mentality, as he’ll likely be tested early in Sunday’s race. Wallace has a fast car this weekend, as evidenced by his fourth-place speed in practice on Saturday. However, during his qualifying run, Wallace caught a massive bump in the tunnel turn on his getting-up-to-speed lap, which ruined his entire qualifying run.
As a result, he’ll start from the 29th position.
Will Wallace be able to bide his time, methodically work his way to the front half of the field, and start building a case for himself to make the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs? Or will the weekend end in another case of frustration for the driver? Only time will tell. But heading into Sunday’s 400-mile tilt, Wallace is saying and doing all the right things.
Wallace enters Sunday’s race as the first man on the outside of the Playoffs cutline looking in. He has a 45-point deficit to Chris Buescher, who currently holds the final slot in the Playoff field of 16 drivers with six races remaining until the Playoffs.
The NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway is set for Sunday, July 14 at 2:30 PM ET. The race will be televised by USA Network. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the radio call of the event.
One Response
Sorry but I can’t see him for filling his statement that he is going to turn another page