Bubba Wallace Penalty for Code of Conduct Infraction in Chicago

Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 on Wednesday, July 10, for violating the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct during the Grant Park 165 Cup Series race. 

Bubba Wallace & Alex Bowman Contact

The Chicago Cup race was full of post-race infractions, Wallace included. The penalty-inducing stunt occurred during the cool-down lap after the checkered flag had been waved and the race had officially ended, but before the drivers exited their vehicles. 

Wallace slammed the door of his vehicle into the side of race-winner Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet, putting it up against the wall outside Turn 12. 

Wallace’s frustration with Bowman wasn’t because he won the race, but came from a confrontation between the two cars in Stage 1. Earlier in the race, Bowman and Wallace had a moment of contact, which made Wallace spin into the wall. It’s hard to say if this incident ultimately caused Wallace to finish the race in 13th while Bowman took first, but either way, Wallace took out his frustration on Bowman’s car post-race. 

Chase Elliott & Daniel Suarez Tangle Too

While the TV cameras were focused on Wallace and Bowman tangling in the cool-down lap, a similar infraction occurred between Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez, although NASCAR officials have yet to levy a penalty on Elliott. 

Elliott was on pace for a top-15 finish and extending his streak of a top-20 finish for all 20 Cup races this season  when a moment of contact ruined it all. 

In the final lap of the race, on the final turn of the track with the checkered flag in sight, Suarez drove into the rear of Elliott’s No. 9 car, which sent the vehicle spinning. 

Elliott was upset, understandably so given that he was in the final few meters of the race when everything was upended. And, in his frustration, Elliott decided to speed up through the rest of the field on the cool-down lap to catch up with Suarez between Turns 5 and 6. Once Elliott had Suarez in his sight, he rammed into the passenger-side door of Suarez’s car, before speeding ahead and brake-checking him.

There’s been a few discussions as of late over the growing rivalries in the sport, the on-track gratuitous aggression, and respect between drivers. Sure, fans love the drama, but the teams don’t love the poor PR and the financial strain of needless damage done to the cars. 

It’s unclear if NASCAR will draw a line in the sand to prevent further incidents like this from taking place outside of the race, or if they’ll penalize Elliott the way they did Wallace. 

Wallace is currently 15th in the driver standings, with 476 points this season, 0 wins, but 6 top-10s and 3 top-5 finishes. Elliott is second in the driver standings, with 660 points, 1 race win, 9 top-10s, and 7 top-5 finishes.

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