A blessing in disguise?
Tempers flared after the NASCAR Cup Series race on the Chicago street course last weekend after Alex Bowman took the checkered flag.
During stage 2 of the Grant Park 165, before the race was red flagged for around 2 hours due to rain, Bowman got into Bubba Wallace and sent the #23 car spinning, causing significant damage to Bubba’s car and ending any chance he had of winning in Chicago.
Trouble for @BubbaWallace … and then for @ChaseBriscoe_14! pic.twitter.com/VdlR8ntjnE
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 7, 2024
And during the rain delay, Bowman apologized to Bubba and said that he simply got into the corner too hard, admitting that he felt terrible for ruining Bubba’s day.
Well apparently Bubba wasn’t ready to accept the apology just yet…
After the checkered flag, Bubba decided to show his displeasure to the race winner by door slamming Bowman into the wall as the #48 was celebrating his win.
BUBBA WALLACE DOORSLAMMED ALEX BOWMAN. 😳
The No. 48 spun the No. 23 earlier in the race. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/C9GP93C4zC
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 8, 2024
Yikes…
Bowman once again apologized to Bubba during his interview immediately after getting out of the car, and in the media center after the race, Bowman said he didn’t believe Bubba should be penalized for putting him into the wall:
“No. He barely hit me. Everything was fine and it was plenty deserved.”
After being doored on the cooldown lap, Alex Bowman doesn't think #NASCAR should step in and penalize Bubba Wallace: "He barely hit me, everything was fine and it was plenty deserved."
Bowman explains the post-race contact, plus the incident that led to Wallace's frustrations: pic.twitter.com/As3OlZ1oVj
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) July 8, 2024
But apparently NASCAR didn’t agree, because it was announced this week that Bubba had been fined $50k for the contact after the race (though he wasn’t assessed a points penalty which I’m sure is what the team was most worried about).
And ahead of this weekend’s race at Pocono, Bubba was asked about the fine – and from the way he talked, it sounds like he may see it as a blessing in disguise:
“The penalty was probably the best thing that happened to me.
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.”
Bubba also said that he got some advice from former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick about his mindset at the track:
“He told me 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.”
Of course Bubba’s always been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and he’s often discussed his struggles with mental health and letting things get to him.
But maybe getting fined actually turns out to be the wakeup call that he needed?
The first part of Bubba Wallace's media session where he says the $50,000 fine was the best thing that happened to him and the advice he got this week from Kevin Harvick. pic.twitter.com/nyGPjzXcHs
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 13, 2024
