American professional stock car racing driver Bubba Wallace was suspended for one race after he crashed Kyle Larson at Lap 94 of the South Point 400 and proceeded to shove Larson, both violations of Sections 4.3.A and 4.4.C & E of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct laid out in the NASCAR Rule Book. Rule 4.4.C lists “intentionally wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result” as one of five member actions that could result in a penalty.
The Richest announced Tuesday that it suspended Bubba Wallace after his actions in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The incident began at the exit of Turn 4 in the Cup Series’ Round of 8 opener at the 1.5-mile track, where Larson slid high and forced Wallace’s 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota into the outside retaining wall. Wallace, the victor of Stage 1, turned left into Larson’s right-rear quarter panel, sending the No. 5 Chevrolet spinning toward the outside wall and clipping Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota in the process. Bell is still competing for a spot in the Championship 4 while Larson continues to chase an owners’ championship for Hendrick Motorsports. None of the three competitors were able to continue, per NASCAR.
The crash also took out the No. 20 driver, Christopher Bell, who was vying for a Championship 4 spot in the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs. None of the three competitors were able to continue the race.
RELATED: Shia LaBeouf Faces Battery Charges After Altercation In Los Angeles
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief operating officer, joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “SiriusXM Speedway” on Tuesday afternoon to discuss why the sanctioning body responded to Wallace’s actions with a suspension.
“Our actions are really specific to what took place on the race track,” O’Donnell told host Dave Moody. “And when we look at how that incident occurred, in our minds, really a dangerous act. We thought that was intentional and put other competitors at risk. And as we look at the sport and where we are today and where we want to draw that line going forward, we thought that definitely crossed the line and that’s what we focused on in terms of making this call.”
O’Donnell noted NASCAR officials examined the data and reviewed multiple angles of the incident before landing on the decision to suspend Wallace, an uncommon penalty levied against drivers.
“When we look at drivers historically, it’s been very rare if ever that we suspend drivers, so we don’t take that action lightly,” O’Donnell said. “So we view our penalties from what has to happen at the race track. It’s a driver-driven sport. Obviously, everybody’s very important to what takes place in the sport. …
“But the driver oftentimes is the focus. And what happens on track is a big focus. So in this case, that’s an action we’ve rarely moved forward with when it comes to a driver. There’s comparisons to what we’ve done in the past, but as we’ve always said, we need to ratchet things up where we see that there’s a line that’s been crossed.”
After the incident, Wallace said the steering on his car broke and that Larson just happened to be there. O’Donnell confirmed NASCAR examined both the vehicle and the data available and added: “We’re confident in the decision we made and why we made it.”
23XI Racing released a statement that indicated it would not appeal NASCAR’s decision and that John Hunter Nemechek would replace Wallace in the No. 45 Toyota for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After the race, Larson, 30, admitted to making an aggressive move that led to the initial contact that caused the wreck.
“I got in low, got loose and chased it up a bit and he got up to my right front and got tight,” he told reporters. “I knew he was going to retaliate. He had a reason to be mad but his race wasn’t over until he retaliated. Just aggression turned into frustration.”
As for Wallace—who races for Denny Hamiln and Michael Jordan’s 23XII team—he claimed the steering on his car broke and that Larson just happened to be there. However, the following day, Wallace issued a formal apology.
“My behavior does not align with core values that are shared by 23XI Racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport,” his Oct. 17 statement read. “I compete with immense passion, and with passion, at times, comes frustration.
He continued, “Upon reflecting, I should have represented our partners and core team values better than I did by letting my frustrations follow me outside of the car. You live and learn, and I intend to learn from this.”
Wallace issued a statement to his social media accounts Monday night, specifically addressing the post-wreck confrontation.
“I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car,” Wallace wrote. “My behavior does not align with the core values that are shared by 23XI Racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport.”
O’Donnell said conversations will be had regarding the post-crash shoves but reiterated the penalties were aimed at what took place at speed.
“Certainly not something we condone when you look at all the actions that took place as part of that,” he said. “But again, a heat-of-the-moment thing. Bubba’s a competitor. He’s out there – he had a great race car. He wants to win, right? And we love that about Bubba Wallace that he wants to go out and win like all of our drivers do. In this case, you put all three of those things together, but our focus was really what took place on the track.
“We don’t want to see drivers fighting. We understand that emotions get high. We don’t encourage that obviously. But our focus was really on the race track and we’ll have conversations about what took place outside the race car one-on-one and see where we go from there.”
READ NEXT: Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis Adamantly Denies Allegations By Former Nanny
Sources: E! News, NASCAR
Source: Read Full Article
