Bubba Wallace Fined $50,000 For Crashing Into Alex Bowman After NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race
NASCAR has hit Bubba Wallace with a $50,000 fine for the hit he put on Alex Bowman in Chicago.
Wallace ran his car hard into Bowman’s during the cool-down lap in an apparent retaliation for Bowman running into him during the race.
Eventual race winner Bowman lost control under braking during a lap 25 restart and spun Wallace, which took him out of contention.
Bowman took the blame for the racing incident and said he didn’t think Wallace should be punished for the post-race hit.
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“He like barely hit me, everything was fine, and it was plenty deserved,” Bowman said. “I’d be mad too, I ruined his day.”
Bowman blamed the incident on being distracted as he was trying to get his windshield wiper working and said that he was embarrassed. Wallace ended up finishing 13th.
Both drivers had their safety nets down when Wallace hit Bowman, which may have contributed to the severity of the fine, which is the same as one given to Daniel Suarez last year for running into Bowman on pit lane after the 2023 Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Chicago win locked Bowman into the NASCAR Playoffs, while Wallace is currently below the cutline in 17th place, 45 points behind Chris Buescher, who is also winless in 2024.