While his 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick celebrated his win at Kansas Speedway Sunday, Bubba Wallace could only wonder what could have been.
Wallace came to Kansas Speedway as the defending winner of the race last season. But unlike last season this time Wallace came in as part of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs having qualified for the first time in his career.
He had a bit of momentum from the opening round of the Playoffs having rallied from a spin in last weekend’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway to finish seventh.
Early on he looked strong, charging from his 10th place starting spot to second and finishing there in Stage 1. But on lap 108 a right rear tire went flat on his Toyota sending it into the outside wall. The damage didn’t appear too bad at first. But after making his way to pit road the crew discovered that the toe link was bent and would need to be replaced. He ultimately went 6 laps down and out of contention for the win. He finished 32nd 4 laps down and is 19 points below the Playoff cutoff line with the Round of 16 finale next up Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“I got loose like five laps before,” he said. “But I realized that was kind of like my line, my approach next to Turn 4 and then three or four laps later, it blew out, no indication going into (turn) 1
“So, I’m pissed at myself. I wasn’t close to the fence and maybe would have got by with less damage, but you’re never going to get a flat tire or blow a tire when you’re running 20th. You’re going to get it when you’re really fast and lights out versus the competition.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.