How Bubba Wallace Convinced Rajah Caruth of Massive Daytona Mistake: “Like It Was My Own F**king Race”

The season-opening race of the Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona served as a stark reminder of how far down the ladder the series has come in terms of respect and professionalism. Filled with unethical wrecks throughout, matters boiled over when Rajah Caruth triggered a final lap wreck that collected most of the field. Following the race, Bubba Wallace was found in a heated conversation with Caruth. The former has now revealed what was it that they discussed.

Wallace has been a long-time mentor figure for Caruth, driver of the #71 Spire Motorsports Chevy Silverado. The youngster is expected to follow Wallace’s path into the Cup Series. These very factors are why Wallace had to take Caruth’s mistakes seriously. He talked about his after-race discussions with the youngster on the Door Bumper Clear podcast and said how he had to force him to accept his mistakes.

Caruth had initially tried convincing Wallace that he’d been pushed into the exit off turn two while running 3rd on the inside line. The slide that followed caused him to hit the rear of Jack Wood’s truck and ultimately triggered the 12-truck crash. However, Wallace’s seasoned eyes had taken to reviewing the race footage and spotted that Caruth had not been pushed.

Wallace said, “I go back to the bus. I studied film like it was my own f**king race. I’m like pausing the TV, pulling up my phone and I’m like ‘Bro, you didn’t get pushed’. (…) He finally came around and said, ‘I messed up’. I said, ‘Thank you. Now pick up the phone and tell everybody else that.’ Because that’s what he’s got to do.”

Bubba Wallace believes lack of veteran influence is behind the Truck Series controversy

Responding to a social media post from Dave Moody after last weekend’s race, Bubba Wallace gave his take on the wrecks in the Truck Series. The idea was quite simple for the 23XI Racing star. He believes that the Truck Series grid is filled with youngsters and not a lot of veterans. And even those with experience in racing don’t carry the same weight as their counterparts in the Cup Series.

Wallace wrote, “Some of the most important words I was told coming up thru… “stop crashing shit” – @KevinHarvick Goes back to the respect talk @KyleBusch was saying… Not saying cup guys need an unlimited amount again..” He added, “Seems like the majority now don’t care about one another and just DO before they THINK. Idk anything tho.”

Wallace’s words make a lot of sense considering the sway that drivers like Harvick and Busch had on the field. The respect they commanded forced upcoming racers to discipline themselves on the track.

Hopefully, a similar pattern will flow down to the lower rungs of NASCAR and create a more professional field of racers.