NASCAR has concluded its investigation into driver Bubba Wallace after the highly scrutinized on-track incident at the Cup Series race in Chicago. Wallace intentionally crashed into Alex Bowman during the cool-down lap, moments after Bowman clinched victory at the Chicago Street Course.
The incident was a direct result of a collision earlier in the race. On Lap 25, contact between Bowman and Wallace’s cars led to the latter spinning out, significantly impacting his performance and indirectly involving Daniel Suarez, who was forced to bring his car to a stop. At that time, Wallace, who started sixth and consistently ran in the top 10, was vying for a playoff position but ultimately finished in 13th place due to the incident.
NASCAR’s response to the situation came on the subsequent Wednesday when the organization decided to impose a $50,000 fine on Wallace. Notably, they refrained from deducting any points from the driver—a decision that contrasts sharply with a recent similar case involving Carson Hocevar in Nashville, where both points were deducted and fines were issued.
According to the official statement from NASCAR:
“Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, was fined $50,000 for violating Sections 4.4.B & D: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct during Sunday’s Grant Park 165.”
Alex Bowman, the victor at the Chicago race and the unintentional catalyst for the controversy, expressed a mix of regret and understanding towards Wallace whilst speaking to the media after the race. He commented:
“He has every right to be mad; I’d be mad, too. I tried to call him during the rain delay, and I shot him a text.
“Nothing I can do to make it better, and I’m sure us winning probably only makes it worse.
“I just messed up and ruined his day, so I hate that.”
This is not the first time Wallace has faced penalties from NASCAR. A notable prior incident occurred in 2019 while he was with Richard Petty Motorsports, where he admitted to deliberately spinning to cause a caution, resulting in both a fine and a points deduction.
2024 Grant Part 165 Cup Series Results
- A. Bowman – Chevrolet · #48, Status: Running, Points: 54
- T. Reddick – Toyota · #45, Status: Running, Points: 37
- T. Gibbs – Toyota · #54, Status: Running, Points: 42
- J. Hand – Ford · #60, Status: Running, Points: 43
- M. McDowell – Ford · #34, Status: Running, Points: 32
- R. Stenhouse Jr. – Chevrolet · #47, Status: Running, Points: 34
- T. Gilliland – Ford · #38, Status: Running, Points: 33
- W. Byron – Chevrolet · #24, Status: Running, Points: 29
- K. Busch – Chevrolet · #8, Status: Running, Points: 28
- R. Blaney – Ford · #12, Status: Running, Points: 27
- D. Suárez – Chevrolet · #99, Status: Running, Points: 27
- D. Hemric – Chevrolet · #31, Status: Running, Points: 29
- D. Wallace Jr. – Toyota · #23, Status: Running, Points: 28
- N. Gragson – Ford · #10, Status: Running, Points: 28
- A. Cindric – Ford · #2, Status: Running, Points: 22
- J. Haley – Ford · #51, Status: Running, Points: 21
- Z. Smith – Chevrolet · #71, Status: Running, Points: 20
- B. Keselowski – Ford · #6, Status: Running, Points: 27
- A. Dillon – Chevrolet · #3, Status: Running, Points: 18
- C. Buescher – Ford · #17, Status: Running, Points: 17
- C. Elliott – Chevrolet · #9, Status: Running, Points: 16
- R. Chastain – Chevrolet · #1, Status: Running, Points: 15
- J. Logano – Ford · #22, Status: Running, Points: 14
- C. Hocevar – Chevrolet · #77, Status: Running, Points: 20
- H. Burton – Ford · #21, Status: Running, Points: 14
- K. Grala – Ford · #15, Status: Running, Points: 11
- C. LaJoie – Chevrolet · #7, Status: Running, Points: 10
- J. Bilicki – Ford · #66, Status: Running, Points: 0
- E. Jones – Toyota · #43, Status: Running, Points: 8
- D. Hamlin – Toyota · #11, Status: Running, Points: 8
- A. Hill – Chevrolet · #33, Status: Running, Points: 0
- C. Briscoe – Ford · #14, Status: Running, Points: 12
- M. Truex Jr. – Toyota · #19, Status: Running, Points: 10
- R. Preece – Ford · #41, Status: Running, Points: 3
- J. Nemechek – Toyota · #42, Status: Running, Points: 2
- J. Berry – Ford · #4, Status: Running, Points: 1
- C. Bell – Toyota · #20, Status: DNF, Points: 10
- A. J. Allmendinger – Chevrolet · #13, Status: DNF, Points: 0
- K. Larson – Chevrolet · #5, Status: DNF, Points: 7
- S. van Gisbergen – Chevrolet · #16, Status: DNF, Points: 0
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