Bubba Wallace doesn’t consider he did something incorrect at Martinsville Speedway that resulted in his 23XI Racing workforce being penalized with two others for race manipulation.
“We will all comply with disagree,” Wallace stated Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. “It’s what it’s. We’re right here at Phoenix.”
Wallace slowed on the ultimate lap of the elimination race and was handed by Toyota teammate Christopher Bell going into Flip 3. Each drivers had been working one lap down, however Bell wanted the place from Wallace as a result of it put him right into a tiebreaker with fellow championship contender Wiliam Byron. Bell had the tiebreaker on Byron to advance.
However NASCAR penalized Bell for driving the wall within the closing corners and it’s Byron who’s racing for a championship. Wallace was fined $100,000 and docked 50 factors. His workforce was additionally fined $100,000 and docked 50 factors whereas his spotter (Freddie Kraft), crew chief (Bootie Barker), and a workforce government (Dave Rogers) are suspended from this weekend’s occasions.
Wallace stated he was unaware of the scenario unfolding round him final weekend. Denny Hamlin, Wallace’s co-owner, additionally denied his driver did something incorrect and stated a have a look at the precise rear tire post-race confirmed it had gone bald.
“We had been working our personal race and began to bleed there actually arduous,” Wallace stated. “I attempted to carry off the [No.] 5 from attending to the subsequent lapped automotive and simply burnt my [expletive] up, so a product of racing, and the irritating half is we confirmed up there within the spring with a automotive able to profitable and confirmed again within the fall, and we’re a no person. That’s tremendous irritating.
“It’s been a very irritating week.”
Per week that’s capped off in bittersweet style…
Barker just isn’t solely sitting at dwelling but in addition doing so to finish his tenure as Wallace’s crew chief. He’s shifting to an inside position with the group subsequent season.
“Bootie’s final race with the [No.] 23 group must be tarnished by that,” Wallace stated. “Bootie has meant so much to me within the quick period of time I’ve gotten to be with him [over] the final three years. He’s grow to be certainly one of my finest pals, and I advised him that after we made the choice to go a unique path. I stated I don’t throw out the very best good friend time period very simply, so to see him on the sidelines and never going to our final race – win, lose, or draw, it doesn’t matter – he’s not right here within the trenches with us, and that [irritates me] for certain.
“However [life] goes on. Time doesn’t await you; it retains going. We’re right here. I really feel like we’ve received a very good Star Wars/Columbia Toyota Camry. We simply must make all of it occur tomorrow.”
23XI Racing selected to not attraction the penalty. Wallace’s teammate, Tyler Reddick, is racing for the Cup Collection championship Sunday afternoon and the group needed to focus its effort and time on his automotive.
“Tyler and the [No.] 45 group have labored their [rears] off to place themselves in a spot to go for a championship,” Wallace stated. “For us to make the choice to not attraction, I didn’t agree with that, however I understood as soon as they broke it down. We have now to have all of our eggs in the identical basket and time invested in the precise issues and on the proper time. The best time is specializing in the championship for the [No.] 45 and bringing dwelling 23XI their first championship.
“As quickly as that was communicated, it was simple to let your guard down and recognize that and help the workforce’s choice as a result of, on the finish of the day, that’s a very powerful factor. We’ll proceed to go on and race and be aggressive and do every part we are able to.”
