NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace endures another close call at Daytona International Speedway
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s latest brush with history at Daytona International Speedway was particularly frustrating for the 27-year-old, if not the sport itself.
Wallace’s third-place finish under the checkered flag during Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 continued his success at the storied 2.5-mile oval, where he’s finished outside the top-15 just twice in nine starts and has posted three of his five top-five finishes.
Wallace’s bid to become the first Black driver to win a Cup Series race at Daytona ended during the two-lap overtime period. Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota Camry could not keep pace with winner Ryan Blaney, who twice stayed a step ahead of late-race chaos to pick up his season’s third win and biggest of his career.
“Last restart, our car felt slow, sluggish,” Wallace said. “The seas parted. When that wreck happened, I stayed in it, came out third. Not what we needed. Bummer.”
NASCAR would have welcomed a Wallace victory, too.
While the telegenic 27-year-old Blaney, son of former driver Dave Blaney, was a popular winner among fans, Wallace is the only Black driver in the stock car racing’s top series and potentially could expand the sport’s appeal.
Wallace also drives for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.
A Wallace victory would have come on the weekend NASCAR presented the family of the late Wendell Scott a custom trophy commemorating his 1963 victory in Jacksonville, still the only race won by a Black driver in stock car racing’s top series.
Yet Wallace’s performance had plenty of positives, including an official second-place finish after Chris Buescher’s Ford was dropped from second to last for failing its postrace inspection.
The 27-year-old led eight laps during the 160-lap event, extended to 165 laps due to two late multicar crashes. Wallace also led a lap during the Daytona 500, putting eyeballs on himself and his first-year team.
“Solid day. I mean, we led some laps,” he said. “This is the best I’ve kept a speedway car clean — just some nose damage.
“I gave them a good run.”
The next step is Victory Lane for Wallace and 23XI Racing.
Jordan and Hamlin next season will add veteran Kurt Busch, a former Cup Series champion and the 2017 Daytona 500 winner. Busch will give Wallace someone to join forces with during winning time in races.
The 43-year-old Busch is not shy about pushing the pace and mixing it up on the track. On Saturday night, Busch’s aggressive driving played a role in Daniel Suarez losing control of his car and causing a massive pileup during the overtime period.
Wallace partly credited Blaney’s victory to his ability to work with fellow Ford driver Kevin Harvick, whose No. 4 Ford Mustang ran second before the final crash of the night allowed Blaney’s No. 12 to take the checkered flag under caution.
“Got a great push by Corey LaJoie,” Blaney said. “That was the big push that got us ahead to the lead. I think he pushed me so good, I mean, me, Corey and the 4 all got single file.”
Meanwhile, Wallace felt stranded on an island as cars passed him during the race’s key juncture.
“I’m a little frustrated,” Wallace said. “I’m the one that gets called out for not working with teammates, and I’m the one that gets left hanging. That’s the reason why Ford is in Victory Lane because they always work together.
“Unfortunate ... we wanted to win.”
Wallace and Busch will be expected to win during 2022.
Jordan and Hamlin have made a significant investment into 23XI Racing and each has achieved decades of sports success.
“Our focus is going to be solely on these two guys and how can we get them upfront, in the top five, every single week contending for race wins,” said Hamlin, a 44-time winner. “That’s our goal. You can’t just expand just to expand. You’ve got to figure out what it takes to win first.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.
