On October 16th 2022, during stage two of the playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two drivers were racing for fifth place. The drivers in question were Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace. Kyle Larson was able to get a run on the two of them. Larson then took the two of them three wide entering turn three. Harvick backed out of the three-wide race for fifth place. Larson’s car wiggled, slid up the track, and made a little contact with Wallace. Wallace stayed on the throttle and made contact with the wall as they exited turn 4.
We all know what happened after that. Harvick passed the two of them (showing that some times it pays to lift). Wallace hooked the 5 car in the right rear, and in the process, he ended up taking Larson, Bell, and himself out of the race. All for fifth place… during stage two.
It was one of those jaw-dropping moments that occasionally happens in NASCAR — the type of moment where you just know someone is in trouble, even with NASCAR’s inconsistent rule enforcement. It was reminiscent of the incident between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano at Martinsville back in 2015. The only difference was that this incident was much scarier. First of all, it was in the next gen car, which has very serious safety concerns. Second, it was on an intermediate (1.5 mile) track with much faster speeds.
Matt Kenseth received a two race suspension for his actions. Bubba Wallace received a one race suspension for the actions described above. After the incident, Bubba Wallace got out of his car, walked across an active track, and began shoving Kyle Larson. In his interview, he stated that he had lost steering after his contact with the wall. He didn’t apologize for his actions, declaring that he “never lifts,” and even dismissing Christopher Bell’s collateral damage by saying, “That’s racing.” He later apologized to Bell on a flight. NASCAR made it clear that his suspension was specifically for the on track incident.
Following the suspension, Kyle Petty made it clear that he felt Wallace should have been suspended for the rest of the season. Petty included his actions following the on track incident as reasons for what would have been a total of a three race suspension. I am inclined to agree with Kyle Petty here; however, I believe that Wallace deserved a three race suspension solely for the on track incident. His actions following the incident deserved a fine on top of that, at least.
The next gen car has safety concerns that are supposed to be fixed before the 2023 season. Las Vegas is a very fast track, and Wallace hooked the 5 car in the right rear on the front stretch dogleg. Matt Kenseth received a two race suspension for his 2015 Martinsville retaliation against Joey Logano. That’s a two race suspension for similar actions on a much slower track in a much safer car.
Thankfully, Christopher Bell’s 20 car altered the trajectory of the 5 car, which saved Kyle Larson from backing it into the wall. While this most likely ended Bell’s chance for a championship, it probably saved Kyle Larson from a concussion, too. This season, we have already seen Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman suffer concussion like symptoms after backing the next gen car into the wall.
One would think that given time to calm down, Wallace would have already apologized to Kyle Larson. After all, he very well could have ended Larson’s season, or possibly even his career. This was not “rattling his cage,” as Dale Earnhardt, Sr. once did to Terry Labonte. This was not a short track bump-and-run gone wrong. It was an intentional retaliation for something that could have been avoided, if he would have only lifted. As of this time, Bubba Wallace has not apologized to Kyle Larson, and his one race suspension penalty has already been served. We can only hope that he learns to control his anger just a little bit more prior to his return to the track.
Kevin Harvick knows a thing or two about losing one’s temper. He was suspended for a weekend of racing at Martinsville back in 2002. The penalty was the result of intentionally spinning another driver in the truck race after announcing his plans to do so over the radio. He has calmed down over time and gave some credit to Mike Helton for that change. The driver of the Stewart-Haas #4 Ford Mustang tweeted that an iron fist is what was needed.
Did NASCAR provide that iron fist? I don’t think they did.
I realize that NASCAR was put into a difficult situation with this incident. First, they were going to anger a lot of people regardless of how they responded. Second, they were partly at fault for the level of danger involved in this incident. The safety issues with the next gen car immediately come to mind. This could have been a lot worse. As such, the penalty issued to Bubba Wallace could have been a lot worse. Perhaps, it should have been.
Then again, maybe NASCAR lifted just enough to avoid a major PR nightmare, while still hitting hard enough to teach an important lesson. Hopefully, what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas.
