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Wallace fined for contact with Bowman in Chicago
Bubba Wallace has been fined $50,000 by NASCAR for contact with Alex Bowman on the cooldown lap after Sunday’s race in Chicago.
The penalty falls under sections 4.4.B&D of the NASCAR Rule Book, which is NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Wallace made contact with the right side of Bowman’s Chevrolet. The 23XI Racing driver was upset after contact from Bowman early in the race, on lap 25, when he spun in Turn 2.
“I’d be mad, too,” Bowman said of the incident. “I ruined his day. The restart was chaotic. I just made every wrong decision I possibly could, and I was fighting with my windshield wiper switch trying to get the thing working and I couldn’t get it working. I was focused on that, missed the corner and cleaned him out. I locked all four tires up and slid right into him. I just messed up and absolutely ruined his day.”
Bowman won the race and clinched a spot in the playoffs. He entered the day 51 points above the cutline.
Wallace is the first driver below the cutline. He finished 13th in Chicago.
When asked if Wallace should be penalized for their post-race contact Bowman said Sunday night, “No. He barely hit me. Everything was fine, and it was plenty deserved.”
There were no other penalties from Chicago.
Kelly Crandall
Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.
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