Bubba Wallace Jr.'s apology to Kyle Larson still missing despite apologizing to Christopher Bell

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace Jr. has faced a lot of pressure from almost everyone in the NASCAR Cup Series fraternity in light of his recent actions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first race of the 2022 season's Round of 8 saw the #45 McDonald's Toyota Camry TRD driver tangle with Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson during the second stage of the South Point 400.

The end result of a multitude of events was Wallace Jr. spinning Larson out on the front straightaway of the 1.5-mile-long track and being involved in a physical altercation after getting out of the car. While Bubba Wallace Jr. and Kyle Larson fought a battle of their own, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was seen as an innocent victim of Larson's out-of-control #5 Chevrolet hitting him and taking him out of the race.

Bell advanced to the Round of 8 in the playoffs by winning in Charlotte the week before the incident and is a major championship contender for Team Toyota this season. The #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD driver sits at the bottom of the playoff drivers going into the next round as a result of last week's DNF. In the aftermath of the controversy, Bubba Wallace Jr. was suspended from participating in next weekend's race at Miami-Homestead and has also taken the time out to apologize to his Toyota teammate.

Bell elaborated on how the Mobile, Alabama native got in touch with him on the flight back from Sin City and said:

“He just apologized for what went down and the fact that we got taken out in his unfortunate circumstances.”

Despite having apologized to Christopher Bell, there have been no signs of communication or probable apologies from Wallace Jr.'s side to Kyle Larson. The latter, who was seen avoiding further confrontation while being pushed around by the 23XI Racing driver, acknowledged Wallace Jr.'s right to be upset. Larson, however, also touched upon Wallace Jr.'s decision-making post-race in light of the ongoing safety issues with the NASCAR Next Gen car.

---

Top NASCAR official elaborates on the reasoning behind Bubba Wallace Jr.'s penalty

The governing body's chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell recently appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to explain the reasoning behind Bubba Wallace Jr.'s suspension from the Miami-Homestead weekend. He said:

“When we look at how that incident occurred, in our minds it was really a dangerous act. We thought that was intentional and put other competitors at risk. As we look at the sport and where we are, we thought that definitely crossed the line.”

Deeming Wallace Jr.'s actions as somewhat over the top, O'Donnell emphasized the safety of the competitors on the track and its potential outcomes.

NASCAR will go live from Miami-Homestead Speedway this Sunday for 400 miles of racing in the Dixie Vodka 400.