Having been in a similar situation last year, Bubba Wallace can say a thing for two about retaliation and its consequences.
The 23XI Racing’s No. 23 driver retaliated against Kyle Larson last season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For the intentional wreck, Wallace was suspended for one race.
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Last week during the Coca-Cola 600 last week, Chase Elliott hooked Denny Hamlin and earned a one-race suspension for intentional retaliation.
Given that Wallace was in the same situation last year, he is satisfied that NASCAR is consistent with their Cup Series penalties.
“I mean, they’re keeping it consistent, right? I think that’s what we asked for,” Wallace said. “A lot of the times, we give them a lot of grief for being so inconsistent, so to me, that was the same thing as what happened at Vegas with me and the No. 5 car, and he’s taking a week off for it.
“It is what it is. I said it earlier as well. NASCAR’s laying their foot down with this new car. Look at the No. 14 penalty. We’ve paid a lot of money in fines. We, as the Cup Series, have paid a lot of fines this year, and they’re not messing around.”
Wallace also again reiterated that he has learned his lessons regarding intentionally wrecking other drivers. Additionally, he also revealed the message his team co-owner Michael Jordan gave regarding retaliations.
“Our policy and MJ will text you that right away is, you go beat them on the racetrack. That’s your retaliation,” Wallace said.
NASCAR is certainly taking it seriously regarding retaliations and rule breaks. And it’s always better to keep a cool head and show your anger in the right way by racing better.