Following an outburst during a post-race interview at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, controversial driver Bubba Wallace will not be facing any discipline from NASCAR.
According to a Fox News report, Wallace will not face reprimand for flipping his middle finger to the camera after his second-place finish. Fox says that NASCAR believes that Wallace was simply making the gesture to a friend, and while it may be offensive, NASCAR thinks that there is no ill intent behind the move. Many fans were upset following the interview, which will likely only worsen the chorus of boos that Wallace faces at most races.
Bubba Wallace just flipped off everyone 😒 #bubbawallace #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/aJ1mmkbny7
— Jarrod Kendall (@JarrodKendall_) May 22, 2023
Fans on Twitter have been outspoken about their dislike of Bubba, with one saying, “This is just one of the reason he’s disliked, booed and run of the track. No one respects him and this shows his lack of that! I wouldn’t hire him to drive a go kart!”
Another said, “Bubba Wallace being all class again. NOT! What a jack leg. He knew he was on camera with Fox too.”
This was not the only controversy that Wallace and his team faced that evening. After the race, it was revealed that his communication channel with his team may have been hacked by a heckling fan. According to Fox News, NASCAR is investigating the incident:
NASCAR is investigating an incident involving Bubba Wallace from last weekend’s All-Star race when an unidentified person hacked his team’s radio and shouted a derogatory statement, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.Â
NASCAR spokesman Mike Forde told The Associated Press that an investigation into the incident was opened after reports revealed that someone outside the 23XI Racing team gained access to the radio.Â
“Go back to where you came from you a–hole,” the person said, according to Motorsport.com. “You’re not wanted in NASCAR.”Â
Forde also when on to say, “We certainly take that seriously, no doubt about that. But we can’t have fans interfering with team radio and potential competition implications.”
It is not shocking to see controversy surrounding Bubba Wallace. Last October, Goose from the Gen Z Conservative reported on a fight that Wallace seemed to instigate with fellow driver Kyle Larson. Goose wrote:
Kyle Larson, driver of the number 5 car, made an aggressive move to pass Wallace, whose car was forced to scrape the wall. From that point forward, Wallace sought out the number 5 car and ended Kyle Larson’s race, by spinning him into the grass. That wreck ended the race of three drivers, totaling the cars of Larson, Wallace, and Christopher Bell, a third driver who saw his championship hopes decimated by the collision.
Wallace wasn’t finished there. After wrecking Larson and Bell, Wallace exited his vehicle that was still on the infield of the track, and hurried toward Larson, who looked to be a bit dazed after the hit he just took in his vehicle. Wallace then begins angrily shoving the chest of Larson, who did not want to be a part of any physical. As Larson tried to move away, Wallace continued forward yelling and shoving the much smaller driver.
Full video of the incident here:
Bubba Wallace is NOT HAPPY with Kyle Larson.
Some pushes and shoves after they wreck. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/aaAn0idrJp
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 16, 2022
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