Illustration of NASCAR Driver's Surprising Revelation: "Penalty was the Best Thing for Me"

NASCAR Driver’s Surprising Revelation: “Penalty was the Best Thing for Me”

Bubba Wallace, reflecting on NASCAR’s $50,000 fine for hitting Alex Bowman’s car after the recent Chicago Street Race, admitted that the penalty “was probably the best thing that happened to me.” Wallace was penalized for retaliating against Bowman after an on-track incident. Bowman had previously taken responsibility, explaining that he accidentally turned Wallace while trying to fix his windshield wiper.

After the race, Wallace slammed Bowman’s car into a wall as Bowman navigated the track post-victory. Wallace shared that the penalty led him to a personal revelation:

“I’ve been miserable for years, walking around with a persona that I’m not proud of,” Wallace said. “I need to apologize to a lot of people, especially those close to me.”

He conveyed his commitment to improving at road courses and his frustration with last weekend’s incident.

“I’ve been terrible at road courses for seven years,” Wallace said. “I’ve been trying to get better, working with the team and in simulations. Chicago was our best road course race ever. It was disappointing to have it all undone because of a switch mistake. You had caution laps to address such things. I felt entitled to show my frustration.

“Did I handle it poorly? Absolutely. His window net was down, seat belts off—not ideal. He then won the race, adding insult to injury. I shouldn’t justify it but my passion sometimes gets the best of me.”

At Pocono Raceway, Wallace recalled receiving the fine notice while at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a legends car event. Kevin Harvick, who was there with his son, offered Wallace advice.

“Harvick told me to smile and accept it,” Wallace shared. “He also advised me to be the fun-loving person I am during the week. That struck me because people don’t see who I really am on Sundays. I’ve spent four years miserable, pretending everything is fine. Not from a mental health standpoint, which is in check, but trying to maintain a facade. When one thing goes wrong, it all falls apart.

“I came into this weekend wanting to have fun. That’s my focus.”

Wallace intends to keep that positive mindset despite nearly crashing in qualifying, starting 29th in Sunday’s race.

Regarding the fine, Wallace announced he wouldn’t appeal it.

“I won’t be the last to get fined,” Wallace remarked. “You have to move on. They focus on the retaliation, not what started it. I was raised to end things. My dad believes in being fair: if you punch me, I punch you back, then we shake hands and move on.”

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