LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Bubba Wallace and his wife are expecting a baby and have a mortgage on their home. So when Wallace looked out at a group of media at Pocono Raceway, he decided he would be the one to open the session with a question.
“Anyone got any money?” he joked.
Wallace was a little light on the wallet this week after NASCAR fined him $50,000 for retaliatory contact against race winner Alex Bowman on the cool-down lap of the Chicago Street Race.
Wallace slammed the door of Bowman’s car and sent her crashing into the wall.
The move cost Wallace money, to be sure — and yes, as a driver 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 really acting like the person he wanted to be on the track.
“The penalty is probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Wallace said Saturday. “I’ve been unhappy for years.”
Wallace, 30, has long spoken of his battles with depression, triggered by personal and professional difficulties. Known for wearing his heart on one’s sleeveWallace acknowledged he hasn’t been a joyful presence on the track as he approaches two years since his last Cup Series victory. He’ll start 29th in the No. 23 Toyota on Sunday at Pocono.
“I’ve always had a personality that I’m not proud of,” Wallace said.
Wallace has apologized for his recent behavior to everyone from his publicist to a reporter he ignored last week to Bowman and even the NASCAR official who informed him of the fine.
“I’m just frustrated. I’m doing too much,” Wallace said. “I’m not focusing on the right things.”
Wallace also had to grapple with his role as a change agent within NASCAR after his success in helping the industry. Ban the Confederate flag in 2020. He is considered a hero by some, especially those who dreamed of a black driver disrupting a predominantly white sport. To others, Wallace represents something else entirely, and he has seen plenty of detractors on social media throughout his career.
“For the last four or five years, people have wanted me to leave the sport, right?” Wallace said. “People don’t really understand.”
Wallace found a surprising source of advice this week when he ran into NASCAR veteran great Kevin Harvick. Wallace was about to race with Harvick in a popular racing series when talk turned to the Bowman incident and NASCAR’s fine. Harvick, one of NASCAR’s most outspoken drivers, told Wallace to show up to Pocono “with a smile on your face and take it.”
“I may not agree with the penalty, but I smile about it,” Wallace said. “He also told me a lot of important things. I have to show up and be the fun-loving guy that I am all week long. I think that’s one of the most important things that’s been said to me. People don’t see who I really am on Sundays. It broke me.”
“I always preach that you should be the same person on and off the track. It’s a real headache to be at Cup level, isn’t it? And the last four years I’ve been miserable trying to walk around like everything’s fine.”
Wallace said his mental health was generally good. But he had another person to apologize to: his wife, Amanda.
“I wasn’t the best husband,” he said. “I made her feel like she had to walk on eggshells after bad races. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about coming home and recharging and being close to the people around you. That’s what I look forward to.”
Wallace said he strayed from his usual jovial demeanor on the track because he still felt the need – even with two Cup wins – to prove himself as a person.
He laughed and said he resented his father, with whom Wallace said he had a complicated relationship over the years, who told him not to start trouble but to always end it if necessary.
An eye for an eye.
Like in Chicago.
Bowman said after the rain-soaked Chicago race that he had spun Wallace during the race and that the retaliation was justified. Bowman also argued that Wallace should not be punished. Bowman said Wallace “has every right to be angry.”
Wallace’s window net was down when he hit Bowman after the race, and the camera inside Bowman’s car showed the driver was jostled by the impact.
“Did I time it wrong? Of course, 100 percent,” Wallace said. “His window net was down, his seat belts were off. It wasn’t an ideal situation.”
Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI with Jordan, believes NASCAR issued the fine because the crash was caught on camera. He also has not discussed the matter with Wallace.
“I think the fact that it was live and everyone saw it probably caused a little more of an uproar on social media, which they then responded to,” Hamlin said.
Wallace is in contention for a spot in the NASCAR playoffs with six races remaining. He is 45 points behind Chris Buescher for the final spot in the 16-driver field. A win would give him an automatic spot.
Harvick told Wallace to take a breath because the penalty could have been worse. A heavier fine. Deducted points. A suspension.
Compared to those alternatives, losing $50,000 might not be so bad, although Wallace joked that home improvements will have to wait.
“I told my wife we might have to wait to do the baby’s room,” Wallace said. “I have to pay this fine first.”
Truex Honored
Martin Truex Jr. is close to the finish line of his NASCAR career. He’s already reached it at Pocono.
The track honored Truex – who announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of this season – by painting TRUEX Jr. at the start/finish line.
“As a driver, you never feel like you deserve this kind of thing,” said Truex, who has won twice at the track in his career. “For Pocono to do this is really special for me and my family. It’s really cool to see and hopefully we’re the first ones to do it tomorrow.”
Truex could use a win to position himself to win a second World Cup title in his final season. Truex has yet to win this season for Joe Gibs Racing and is clinging to one of four open points spots.
Tips
Denny Hamlin is the The favorite of the bookmaker BETMGM to win on Sunday.
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