LONG POND, Pa. Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 after the Chicago Street Race for contacting race winner Alex Bowman on the cool-down lap.
Nearly a week removed from the contact, Wallace entered Pocono Raceway on Saturday with a newfound perspective following the penalty issued by NASCAR on Tuesday.
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The penalty was probably the best thing to happen to me, Wallace said. Ive been miserable for years walking around with a persona that Im not proud of. I apologize. I need to apologize to a lot of people that are close to me. Just frustrated and trying way too hard and not focused on the right things.
NASCAR officials handed the fine to Wallace after his post-race door bump to Bowman, which stemmed from an incident in wet conditions at Lap 25. Heading to Turn 2, Bowman carried too much speed, locked the brakes on his No. 48 Chevrolet and slid into Wallaces right-rear corner, sending Wallace spinning. Post-race, Wallace used his car to bump Bowman door-to-door. Bowmans window net was down and also led him against the concrete barriers on the street circuit.
Wallace went on to finish 13th at Chicago, but road racing has never been his strong suit, he admits. That only added to last weekends frustration.
Ive been putting my heart and soul into getting better and spending time with the team in the sim and trying to be better showing up to Chicago, Wallace said. That was our best road-course race ever. And to have that wiped out in two corners when the conditions change over (Bowman) messing with switches when thats all ripped away, you feel some type of entitlement to show your frustration.
Did I time it wrong? Sure, 100%. Window net was down, seat belts were off. Not an ideal situation. And you know, its the guy youre racing with in the points and then he goes on to win the race. So its like icing on the cake, right? So its just three or four slaps in the face when youre working your ass off to be better for the team and just ripped away. Not that Im justifying it at all but Im a passionate guy and I let my frustration get the best of me.
Wallace credited Kevin Harvick, 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and current FOX Sports analyst, for guidance midweek when Wallace was competing in the Summer Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick, in part, told Wallace to show up with a smile on my face and accept it.
He also told me a lot of powerful things, to show up and 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 dont 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.
The 30-year-old father-to-be has long been an advocate for mental health and says he has been kept in check, but that hes largely been miserable the last four years just trying to carry this persona.
So I came into this weekend with a smile on my face and wanting to have fun, said Wallace, who qualified 26th for Sundays race at Pocono. And so thats what Im focused on. I did not have fun in qualifying. I about crashed. But it is what it is. You know, I think last week if this was right now, Id be pissed off and didnt want to talk to you guys. But you know, 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 got another day to figure it out, go have fun, pass a lot of cars and thats where my minds at.
Bowman said during the winners press conference Sunday at Chicago that he didnt believe the contact warranted a penalty and stood by his thoughts at Pocono.
I mean, I dont think my opinion of the the whole thing really mattered, Bowman said. I didnt feel like it was anything terrible on my end from where I sat and I certainly understood why he was mad at me. But its obviously NASCARs decision on what theyre going to do. I feel like stuff like that happens more often than the TV camera probably catches but yeah, it was one of those deals.
Bowman attempted to apologize to Wallace during a rain delay at Chicago last weekend and the two exchanged texts Monday, settling any residual frustration.
I texted him Monday sitting in our debrief, Wallace said, because he texts me: Hey man, sorry. Immediately locked up. He didnt mention anything about switches until TV. And hes like, If theres any consolation, my (expletive) is destroyed too. And I text them after the race: Yeah, ha. Real destroyed. Nice job on the win. So were good.