Published 12/08/2022, 12:30 PM EST
During the latter stages of the 2022 season, Bubba Wallace did something that did not endear him to anyone. At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he had an altercation with defending champion Kyle Larson. It got to a point where Wallace got mad and deliberately drove into Larson, knocking them out of the race.
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Later on, Wallace clambered out and began to brawl with Larson. Although Wallace got punished, NASCAR president Steve Phelps definitely felt that it was against the spirit of the sport.
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In an interview with The Athletic, he said, “Sometimes it goes over the line, for sure — the Bubba Wallace situation, obviously, crossed the line in our opinion — but we don’t create the storylines. This isn’t WWE. It unfolds as it unfolds. It’s having some races that are not as competitive as other races. That just happens. Some races are extraordinary, and others are not. But it’s whatever our drivers are doing on that racetrack, whatever the crews are doing in the pits, and the strategic moves crew chiefs are making is what makes NASCAR NASCAR.”
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How did he react to the Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson incident?
Apparently, his antics did not leave Phelps very impressed. What made things even more humiliating was the fact that it was right in front of some VIP guests. Considering that Bubba Wallace was a fairly big personality from a social perspective, such a stunt was bound to have repercussions.
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MARTINSVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 29: Bubba Wallace (#45 23XI Racing Leidos Toyota) watches the action from pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Xfinity 500 on October 29, 2022 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Phelps continued, “I was in a suite with a couple of NBA players that were there at the race and were somewhat novices. So I described what I thought happened and they said, “That’s what I saw, too.” It was disappointing. You don’t want to see that. You want drivers to show their emotion, for sure, but on the racetrack going 165 miles per hour is not something that we want to see. Bubba knows that.”
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Of course, Wallace later apologized for his antics, but the damage was done. So the 23XI Racing driver will have to work really hard to rebuild his reputation among the fans.