Bubba Wallace reacts to post-Chicago fine: ‘Best thing to happen to me’

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 after the incident, Wallace arrived at Pocono Raceway on Saturday with a fresh perspective, following the penalty issued by NASCAR on Tuesday.

“The penalty was probably the best thing to happen to me,” Wallace admitted. “I’ve been miserable for years, walking around with a persona that I’m not proud of. I apologize. I need to apologize to a lot of people that are close to me. … I’ve been frustrated and trying too hard, 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 on Lap 25. Heading into Turn 2, Bowman carried too much speed, locked the brakes on his No. 48 Chevrolet, and slid into Wallace’s right-rear corner, sending Wallace spinning. Post-race, Wallace used his car to bump Bowman’s door-to-door, leading Bowman against the concrete barriers on the street circuit.

Wallace finished 13th at Chicago, but he admits road racing has never been his strong suit, which only added to last weekend’s frustration.

“I’ve been putting my heart and soul into getting better, spending time with the team in the sim, 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 changed over (Bowman) messing with switches … when that’s 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, it’s the guy you’re racing with 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 and 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.”

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 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.”

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 he’s 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 Sunday’s race at Pocono. “And so that’s what I’m 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, I’d be pissed off and didn’t 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 that’s where my mind’s at.”

Bowman said during the winner’s press conference Sunday at Chicago that he didn’t believe the contact warranted a penalty and stood by his thoughts at Pocono.

“I mean, I don’t think my opinion of the whole thing really mattered,” Bowman said. “I didn’t feel like it was anything terrible on my end from where I sat and I certainly understood why he was mad at me. But it’s obviously NASCAR’s decision on what they’re 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 on Monday, settling any residual frustration.

“I texted him Monday sitting in our debrief,” Wallace said, “because he texted 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 texted him after the race: ‘Yeah, ha. Real destroyed. Nice job on the win.’ So we’re good.”