Wallace was fined $50,000 for hitting Alex Bowman’s car during a cooldown lap last weekend in Chicago. This was the frustration that resulted from contact during the race when Bowman spun Wallace off Turn 2 on Lap 25. To make matters worse, Bowman won the race and clinched a playoff spot as Wallace finished below the cutline.
“The fine was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Wallace said Saturday. “I am saddened by the years I have walked around with a personality I am not proud of, and I need to apologize to a lot of people, especially those close to me. (I’m) frustrated and trying too hard and not focusing on the right things.
Despite the incident, Wallace finished 13th. He points out that for critics, it’s hard to understand how much work (or heart and soul, as Wallace put it) has gone into improving his efforts on road and street courses. In seven years at the Cup Series level, Wallace has scored two top-10 finishes on road courses.
Frustrated with Bowman being given a mid-race red flag for rain, even hours after it happened, Wallace believed Chicago was the team’s “best road course ever.” It was wiped out at two corners when track conditions changed as Bowman said his windshield wiper was not working and he was trying to adjust his switch.
“When it’s all over, you feel kind of entitled to show your frustrations,” Wallace said. “Was my timing wrong? Sure, 100 percent. His window net was down, seatbelts were off – not an ideal situation. This is the guy you’re racing with in the points and then he wins the race, so it’s the icing on the cake, right? When you’re working hard to be better for the team, it’s just three or four slaps in the face, and it’s just a bummer.
“Not that I am justifying all this, but I am an emotional person. I let my frustration get the better of me, but I will say that I got my media training from Kevin Harvick.
Wallace was at Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in a Legends Car race when he received notice of the fine. Harvick was also there with his son Keelan. This proved to be a fortunate turn of events as Harvick, now a retired Cup Series champion who has been through his share of controversies and penalties, could be a wise voice in Wallace’s ear.
Harvick’s first advice was to accept the penalty and run into the next race with a smile on his face. After all, it could have been much worse if points or suspension were involved. Harvick then told Wallace to get back to being himself.
“He told me a lot of powerful things (like) to be a person who has fun all week long,” Wallace said. “I think that’s one of the most important things they told me – that on Sunday people don’t see who I really am, and it broke me. I always preach about being the same person on and off the racetrack, and it’s a pressure cooker at the Cup level, and for the last four years I’ve been miserable trying to carry on like everything is fine.
“Not from a mental point of view; I know I’m big on mental health and have my mental state under control, but I’m just trying to maintain this personality of, ‘Hey, don’t bother me right now, I’m too busy,’ And then one thing goes wrong, the whole thing falls apart. I wanted to have a smile on my face and have fun this weekend. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Wallace went on to say that the most fun he had at a racetrack in a long time was in Chicago. He hopes this will prove in other races that he can enjoy and pass a lot of cars.
There were some light moments after the fine was issued. Wallace jokingly asked his wife Amanda to avoid doing anything else in the nursery for the baby they were expecting. Amanda was another person Wallace apologized to because he wasn’t the best husband, causing her to walk on eggshells after a bad run.
“And that’s not what it’s about,” Wallace said. “It’s about going home and being fresh and being close to the people around me, so that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m happy.”
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