Bubba Wallace admits NASCAR punishment left him feeling ‘unhappy’ at the track for years

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Bubba Wallace and his wife have a baby on the way and need to pay off their house. So when Wallace caught sight of a group of media at Pocono Raceway, he decided he’d start with a question.

“Anyone have any money?” He quipped.

Wallace’s wallet gets a little lighter after this week NASCAR fined him for $50,000 retaliatory contact Against race winner Alex Bowman on the cooldown lap of the Chicago Street Race.

Wallace slammed Bowman’s car door and threw him against the wall.

The move certainly cost Wallace some cash – and yes, driving for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team, he can afford the fine. More than that, the incident opened Wallace’s eyes to the fact that he wasn’t exactly behaving like the person he wanted to be on the track.

“The fine was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Wallace said Saturday. “I’ve been unhappy for years.”

Wallace, 30, has long been open about his battle with depression brought on by personal and professional struggles. she is known to wear heart on her sleeve, Wallace admitted he hasn’t been the epitome of happiness on the track since it’s been almost two years since his last Cup Series win. He starts 29th in the No. 23 Toyota at Pocono on Sunday.

“I’m walking around with a personality I’m not proud of,” Wallace said.

Wallace apologized for his recent behavior to everyone from his publicist to a reporter, whom he fired last week, to Bowman and even the NASCAR official who informed him of the fine.

“I’m just disappointed. I’m trying very hard,” Wallace said. “I’m not focusing on the right things.”

Wallace has also struggled with his role as an agent of change in NASCAR after his successful spark in helping the industry ban the confederate flag In 2020. He is seen as a hero to some, especially those who desire a black driver to shake things up in a predominantly white sport. To others, Wallace represents something else entirely and has seen a lot of haters on social media over his career.

“For the last four or five years, people have wanted me out of the game, right?” Wallace said. “People don’t really understand.”

Wallace got a surprising source of advice this week when he met with retired NASCAR great Kevin Harvick. Wallace was set to race with Harvick in a grassroots racing series, when talk turned to the Bowman incident and NASCAR’s fines. Long one of NASCAR’s most outspoken drivers, Harvick told Wallace to “come to Pocono with a smile on my face and accept it.”

“I may not agree with the fine but I’m smiling about it,” Wallace said. “He also told me a lot of powerful things. To show off and be a fun boy all week long. I think this is one of the most important things they told me. On Sunday people don’t see who I really am. It broke me.

“I always preach about being the same person on and off the racetrack. This is a cup level pressure-cooker, right? And over the last four years, I’ve been miserable trying to walk around like everything is fine.

Wallace insisted that his overall mental health is fine. But he had to apologize to one more person: his wife, Amanda.

“I wasn’t the best husband,” he said. “I made him feel like he had to walk on eggshells after a bad race. This is not what is being talked about. It’s about going home and resetting and being close to the people around you. This is what I’m waiting for.”

Wallace said he deviated from his usual joyful nature on the track because he always felt the need to prove himself as an individual – even with two Cup wins.

He laughed when he said he blamed his father – with whom Wallace has said they have had a complicated relationship over the years – who told him not to start trouble. But always end it when necessary.

an eye for an eye.

Like in Chicago.

Bowman said after the race in rainy Chicago that he had cornered Wallace during the event and that retaliation was necessary. Bowman also advocated for Wallace not to be punished. Bowman said Wallace “has every right to be mad.”

When Wallace collided with Bowman after the race, his window mesh was broken and a camera inside Bowman’s car showed that the driver was shocked by the impact.

“Was my timing wrong? Sure, 100%,” Wallace said. “Their window nets were down, seatbelts were off. Not an ideal situation.”

Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI with Jordan, believes NASCAR issued the fine because the dust storm was caught on camera. He did not even discuss the matter with Wallace.

“I think it probably caused a little bit more of an uproar on social media because of it being live and everyone seeing it, and then they responded to that,” Hamlin said.

Wallace is trying to make the NASCAR playoffs with six races remaining. He trails Chris Buescher by 45 points for the final spot in the 16-driver field. A win gives it an automatic berth.

Harvick told Wallace to take a breath because the punishment could have been worse. Heavy fine. Points docked. A suspension.

Compared to those alternatives, perhaps living out $50,000 isn’t so bad — even as Wallace joked that home improvements would have to wait.

“I told my wife, hey, we might have to gut that kid’s room,” Wallace said. “I have to pay this fine first.”

truex honored

Martin Truex Jr. is nearing the finish line of his NASCAR career. He’s already made it to Pocono.

The track honored Truex – who announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of this season – by portraying Truex Jr. at the start/finish line.

“As a driver, you never feel like you’re really worthy of things like that,” said Truex, who has two career wins at the track. “To do this for Pocono, for me, for my family, is really special. It’s definitely nice to see and hopefully tomorrow we’ll be the first ones to cross it.”

Truex could use a win to move into position to capture his second career Cup championship in his final season. Truex has yet to score a win this season for Joe Gibbs Racing and remains one of four open spots in the points.

odds and ends

Denny Hamlin is BETMGM Sportsbook Favorites To win on Sunday.

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AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing