23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 after last weekend’s race at the Chicago Street Course. He bumped into race winner Alex Bowman during the cool-down lap in retaliation for a spin on Lap 25 and this was viewed as a serious offense by the sanctioning body. Heading to Pocono the winds appear much calmer, thankfully.
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Wallace confirmed to the press at the Tricky Triangle that Bowman had texted him after the race and apologized for the mistake. The incident unfolded in Turn 2 when the Hendrick Motorsports driver slid into Wallace, unable to control his speed. He was quick to admit that he was in the wrong during his post-race interviews as well.
Wallace said, “I texted him Monday sitting in our debrief. Because he texts me, ‘Hey man, sorry. Immediately locked up.’ He didn’t mention anything about switches until TV. And he’s like, ‘If there’s any consolation, my (expletive) is destroyed too.’ And I text them after the race, ‘Yeah, ha. Real destroyed. Nice job on the win.’ So we’re good.”
Notably, Bowman had also been against NASCAR for imposing the penalty. The prime reason why it had to be given was because his net window was down at the time of Wallace’s contact and his seat belt was not secured. The danger that the entire sequence carried left the sanctioning body with little options. And Wallace has learned to roll with such damages.
How Kevin Harvick helped Wallace overcome frustration
Watching yourself stumble when someone you’re fighting against for a spot in the playoffs wins a race can be hard to take. It was for Wallace until he got wisdom from a higher-up. He mentioned that Harvick had been in touch with him during the week and advised him to accept such situations and show up to the next race with a happy demeanor.
“He also told me a lot of powerful things, to show up and be the fun-loving guy that I am throughout the week,” Wallace said. “I think that has been one of the most important things told to me that people don’t see who I actually am on Sundays. And that broke me, right? Because I always preach about being the same person on and off the race track.”
He has qualified in 26th place for the upcoming race at the Pocono Raceway.
