Wallace Accepts Atlanta Penalty and Moves Forward
Bubba Wallace has moved past the penalty NASCAR issued on the final lap of the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, acknowledging the ruling with a pragmatic attitude. “I mean, kind of have to, right,” Wallace told reporters Saturday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. “I mean, it is what it is.”
The penalty dropped Wallace from a runner-up finish to the tail end of the lead lap after race control determined he went below the out-of-bounds line to improve his track position. Wallace initially argued he had not gained position, but later conceded the distinction. “To me, I always thought it was gaining position, but no, it’s gaining track position, which I totally did,” he said. “So it is what it is.”
Wallace and crew chief Charles Denike visited the NASCAR hauler after the race to present data showing Wallace attempted to give the position back, but the effort came too late. “The damage was already done, so it didn’t matter and that was unfortunate,” Wallace said. The penalty cost him valuable points — he now sits 13th in the standings, 55 points above the playoff cutline instead of the 83-point cushion he would have carried leaving Atlanta.
Rule Interpretation and Racing Circumstances
Wallace expressed uncertainty about the spirit of the rule but acknowledged his role in creating the situation. “I’ve never really been kind of in that scenario,” he said. “I’ve had a couple close calls but I will say as I made the move and seen where I was going to end up, I knew it was going to put everybody in a bad spot and that was unfortunate.”
The driver noted a critical detail: if Ty Gibbs had not pushed him at the finish line, Wallace believes he would have finished third and avoided a penalty altogether. “I think NASCAR doesn’t ever want to be put into a situation where they have to make the call and they always tell us to not put them in that situation and unfortunately, I put them there,” Wallace said. “So all in all, a rule is a rule (and I) crossed over the line. Oh, well.”