Bubba Wallace: “Smooth move of playing the sick card so I couldn’t bust him in his mouth.”
Alex Bowman qualified 2nd. After a spin in the final 30 seconds of final practice he would start 32nd.
Starting at the back only got worse, Alex Bowman spun under braking into the back stretch chicane. While spinning, he installed damage on Austin Dillon.
Bubba Wallace was forced to blow through the chicane in the mess on lap one. As a result, he had to serve a penalty and come to a stop in the restart zone before he even made it to lap two.
40 laps later, Alex Bowman was on the bumper of Bubba Wallace. The two drivers were racing hard.
Bubba Wallace stuck his middle finger out the window, multiple times per lap. Bowman didn’t like that at all.
On lap 42, Alex Bowman pushed Bubba Wallace into the back stretch chicane. As Wallace got loose, Bowman looked to his outside.
As they rolled to turn three of the NASCAR oval, Bowman hooked left and turned Wallace via his right rear quarter panel. Wallace was dumped as he went up the banking and made contact with the outside wall.
Bowman had an up and down day. In the end, he rebounded to finish 2nd. That was enough for him to advance into the next round of the playoffs.
After the race, Bowman climbed from his car and sat down immediately. The medical team was there.
Bubba Wallace climbed from his car and went for the walk to Bowman’s machine. He then tossed Gatorade in the face of Alex Bowman as he sat on the ground.
Bowman was transported to the infield medical center via a golf cart. After being released, Bowman commented on the situation…
Related: Bubba Wallace tosses Gatorade in the face of Alex Bowman (Video)
Alex Bowman on being sick on The Roval
“I was really sick on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I felt a little better today but just really behind on being hydrated,” Alex Bowman told NBC Sports after exciting the infield care center.
“Was tired. Everything was really tingly. So, not a great feeling inside a race car. Got some fluids and definitely feeling better. We’ll be good to go in Dover.”
“Lap 10 of the race, I was pretty done and out of it, just from a physical standpoint. Obviously, I tried to give it away on lap 1. As soon as I touched the brake pedal it just started wheel hopping and turned around on me.”
“I apologize to those that got collected in that. I felt like I hurt myself more than anybody on that one.”
The race was red flagged with 7 laps to go. Garrett Smithley lost an axle cap and poured fluid all over the track. NASCAR dropped sand on the track to clean that up.
The drivers were stopped on the track during cleanup after a long hot day. The cars only got harder the longer they stood still. Typically, officials will run onto the track with water in that situation.
“I saw them coming with water for the guys behind me. And I was out of water in the car. They got to like four cars behind me. They didn’t get to me.”
“And then they started rolling. I was like, ‘Dang it man, I could have used that water.’ “
Alex Bowman on Bubba Wallace
“I don’t know if he was mad about the first lap or what. But, obviously, that was just a mistake.”
“I got flipped off for every single straight-away on the entire race track, for 3 laps. Then, I got flipped off by him for three of four laps in a row at Richmond. I’m just over it.”
“I gotta stand up for myself at some point, right? He probably wouldn’t have got wrecked if he had his finger back in the car.”
This marks two weeks of back to back conflicts for Alex Bowman. Last week, he tangled with Austin Dillon. This week, it was Bubba Wallace.
Bowman doesn’t have time for it as he’s now in the Round of 12 and after a NASCAR championship.
“We just gotta focus on going and running well,” Bowman concluded.
Bubba Wallace on Alex Bowman
“He don’t like to race,” Bubba Wallace stated after the post race confrontation with Alex Bowman.
“He just runs over everybody, gets to lap 1 and he runs over me and Austin Dillon into the back chicane. We’re back there in the trunk, man. Just take it easy for a lap. He had a fast car and he just runs over us.”
“Shoot us through the chicane and then we get a penalty for it. Every time he gets to me, he just runs over me.”
“Smooth move of playing the sick card so I couldn’t bust him in his mouth,” Bubba Wallace concluded.
More
Bubba Wallace tosses Gatorade in the face of Alex Bowman (Video)
ROVAL Race Results: September 29, 2019
Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon comment after contact at Richmond
Alex Bowman vs Austin Dillon at Richmond Raceway
Austin Dillon gets pumped when he hears the ‘silver spoon’ phrase
Kyle Busch vs Bubba Wallace at Watkins Glen
Links
Alex Bowman | Bubba Wallace | Austin Dillon | Charlotte Motor Speedway | NASCAR
