In a bombshell announcement, NASCAR on Saturday morning hammered Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr. after he openly admitted in an interview he intentionally caused a caution in last Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Wallace was fined $50,000 and docked 50 championship driver points for his actions that resulted in intentionally causing a caution which ultimately manipulated the outcome of a race.
His penalty came after he admitted his intentions which had been discussed by fans and drivers since last Sunday. NBC Sports’ Dustin Long had the exclusive in which Wallace said he did what was best for himself and his Richard Petty Motorsports organization.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff driver Kyle Larson said his race was adversely affected by Wallace’s spin.
Asked about Larson’s comments on Friday at ISM (Ariz.) Raceway, Wallace replied, “I’m not the only one to do it.”
Wallace told Long that he was not worried about ramifications from his admission “until they (NASCAR) do anything.”
#NASCAR … Here is what @BubbaWallace said about his spin last weekend at @TXMotorSpeedway pic.twitter.com/8wkyaf4NC6
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) November 9, 2019
NASCAR’s penalties came less than 24 hours later.
Scott Miller, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition confirmed to reporters Saturday at ISM Raceway that it was Wallace’s admission and not data from his car that prompted its penalty.
In a statement shortly after the penalty was announced, Richard Petty Motorsports said Wallace would not appeal the penalty.
“Our team met with NASCAR officials this morning to discuss Bubba Wallace’s post-practice comments on Friday concerning an on-track incident which occurred at Texas Motor Speedway,” Philippe Lopez, RPM’s director of competition said.
“We fully understand NASCAR’s position and expectations of its competitors. NASCAR has a difficult job officiating race events and we do not need to make the task more challenging.
“Wallace will not appeal the penalty and will direct his immediate focus to this weekend’s event at the ISM Raceway.”
Speaking with the media before qualifying for Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500, the penultimate Cup race of the season, Wallace didn’t seem fazed with NASCAR’s decision.
“It doesn’t affect me at all,” he said. “We’re still a bunch of nutcases that like to have a lot of fun on and off the race track. We’ll go out and do our best.”
Asked if it would change how he deals with flat tires, Wallace said, “The only one that can make that call is me driving when you have a flat tire. It’s pretty tough to hang on to.”
A $50,000 penalty is a significant hit to a mid-pack driver, but Wallace had a quick reply when asked if he would suffer a financial hit with the monetary fine.
“Indy paid well,” he quipped.
NASCAR officials will provide additional warnings about intentional cautions during Sunday’s pre-race drivers meeting ahead of its Playoff cut off race which will dwindle the competition from eight to the Championship 4.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
