“That was the only car that might’ve beaten Larson” - NASCAR fans react to Bubba Wallace blowing his tire in Kansas

Bubba Wallace displayed impressive speed during the early part of Sunday's race at the Kansas Speedway. However, his day took a turn for the worse when a blown tire disrupted his run.

Wallace held the second position behind Kyle Larson in the second stage, but a right rear tire failure forced him to head to the pit. The toe link needed replacement, but his team managed to make the necessary repairs within the allotted time of the Damaged Vehicle Policy.

The situation could have been worse if it hadn't led to a caution. Bubba Wallace spent considerable time on pit road but managed to rejoin the race before the policy timer expired.

Given how well Wallace had been performing, this incident was a big setback. Here are some Twitter reactions to the incident:

Under caution, Bubba Wallace received the free pass to go two laps down shortly after re-entering the race. Since the initial pit road repairs were completed before the policy clock ran out, he was able to rejoin the field and maintain the minimum speed requirement.

Loose moment led to Turn 4 tire blowout, says Bubba Wallace post-race

Despite concerns about the handling of his car, Wallace completed the required time when the race restarted on lap 114. That allowed his team to take their time for additional repairs when a timely caution occurred shortly after the restart.

According to Racer.com, Bubba Wallace said after the race:

“I got loose like five laps before but I realized that was kind of my line and my approach to the exit of Turn 4, And then, three or four laps later, it blew out. No indication going into [Turn 1]. I’m [mad] at myself I wasn’t closer to the fence, and maybe we would have got by with less damage."

"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 fast and lights out versus the competition. [Kyle Larson] was kicking our [tail], for sure but then something happened to them and they weren’t a factor and [Denny Hamlin] and [Tyler Reddick] came out of nowhere.”

This strategic move kept Wallace in the race but he remained multiple laps down for the remainder of the event. He had an impressive second-place finish in the first stage, earning nine points and leading three laps.

Last year, Wallace won the fall race at Kansas Speedway. This Sunday's race was seen as an important opportunity for him and the No. 23 team, as they returned to the playoffs, marking Wallace's first appearance in the postseason field.

At the start of the weekend, Bubba Wallace was trailing the cutline by just one point. But his position has now worsened; he finds himself 19 points behind the transfer spot as he heads to the Bristol Motor Speedway for the first elimination race of the postseason.