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23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace Jr. released a statement through his social media account, apologizing for his actions following his on-track incident with Kyle Larson during Sunday’s playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Wallace Jr. also apologized to NASCAR and its fans, along with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, who was also caught up in the wreck and exited early from the race. The incident put Bell last among the playoff drivers in the points table.
Coming off Turn 4 on Lap 94, Bubba Wallace Jr. hit the front stretch wall after a close race with Kyle Larson for fifth position. Wallace Jr.'s revenge appeared when he hit Larson in the right-rear quarter panel, sending both the drivers into the wall along with playoff contender Christopher Bell.
Following the incident, Wallace Jr. walked towards Larson’s wrecked car, confronted him and repeatedly began shoving him. While Larson stayed calm during the exchange, the situation was eventually de-escalated by race officials.
In a social media post, Bubba Wallace Jr. apologized for his actions and wrote:
“I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car. 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.”
He continued:
“I want to apologize to NASCAR and the fans, along with Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota for putting them in a situation in the Playoffs that they do not deserve. I compete with immense passion, and with passion at times comes frustration. Upon reflecting, I should have represented our partners and core team values better than did by letting my frustrations follow me outside of the car. You live and learn, and I intend to learn from this.”
"The steering was gone"- Bubba Wallace Jr. spoke about his incident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Speaking to NBC Sports during the post-race, Bubba Wallace Jr. said that he did not intentionally make contact with Kyle Larson, suggesting that his steering did not work at that point. Wallace Jr. said:
“When you get shoved in the fence, deliberately like he [Kyle Larson] did, trying to force me to lift – the steering was gone, and he just so happened to be there. I hate it for our team. We had a super-fast car – not on short-run speed, we were kind of falling back there and Larson wanted to make it a three-wide dive bomb.”
NASCAR has said that officials will review the entire incident between the #45 and #5 drivers.
