Bubba Wallace paid a price for dooring Alex Bowman during the cool-down lap following the conclusion to last Sunday’s Chicago Street Race, $50,000 to be exact.
That’s the amount NASCAR fined him for the infraction, which 23XI Racing decided not to appeal. Speaking on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin said that Wallace’s fine came down to it being against the race-winner in Bowman, and the fact that NBC Sports caught the moment in real time.
“NASCAR made probably the only call that they could,” Hamlin said. “NASCAR really reacts to what people say on social media a lot. They do. And so, when this was under a microscope and again, I firmly believe he got fined because it was on TV, and he [Bowman] was the race winner. … They bumped each other, it wasn’t hard, but these things happen on a weekly basis. It just happened to be Alex showing him right there on live TV, here comes Bubba and he punches him right into the wall.”
Bubba Wallace says $50K NASCAR fine was the best thing to happen to him
In that moment, Wallace let out his frustration from earlier in the race when Bowman spun him out. Wallace believes the fine is the “best thing that’s happened” to him.
“Penalty was probably the best thing that’s happened to me,” Wallace said this past weekend at Pocono, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “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, especially that are close to me. … Just frustrated and trying way too hard and not focused on the right things. The door slam, the bump that Bowman said wasn’t hard at all. For the people that for the last four or five years, people have been wanting me out of the sport. But those people don’t really understand that when you put – road courses, let’s talk about road courses.
“How many years have I been terrible at road courses? Seven, right? So, I’ve been putting my heart and soul into getting better and spending time with the team and the sim and trying to be better. Showing up to Chicago that was our best road course race ever. And to have that wiped out in two corners when the conditions changed, over messing with switches, we all know messing with switches, you don’t mess with switches in the smallest part of the track, and you have seven or eight caution laps.
“When that’s all ripped away, you feel some time of entitlement to show your frustration. Did I time it wrong? Sure, 100%. His window net was down and his seat belts were off, not an ideal situation. You know, and it’s the guy you’re racing in the points. And then he goes on to win the race so it’s like icing on the cake, right? So, it’s just three or four slaps in the face when you’re working your ass off to be better for the team, just ripped away. Not that I’m justifying it at all but I’m a passionate guy, and I let my frustration get the best of me.”
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