NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace gets Michael Jordan support after blown opportunity at AutoTrader 400 appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It has been a solid start to the NASCAR season for 23XI Racing, with co-owner Michael Jordan. Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500, and then, Reddick followed it up with a win at the AutoTrader 400. For most of the race, it seemed like Reddick’s teammate, Bubba Wallace, would take the victory.
Advertisement
A mistake with just two laps to go in double overtime cost Wallace the win, though, and after the race, he was consoled by Jordan, per a video posted by Reggie Chatman of 11Alive News out of Atlanta.
In a race that featured 57 lead changes and ten cautions, Wallace led 46 laps and won stage two. He was in the lead in the second overtime and was pushed well in front by his teammate, Reddick. With two laps left, Wallace decided to make a swing from the bottom to the outside lane in an evert to block Carson Hocevar, who was leading on the outside.
Wallace swung too wide, and Hocevar got underneath him. Reddick joined to make it three wide in an attempt to keep 23XI Racing in the lead. After the race, Wallace spoke of the mistake that cost him, according to Kelly Crandall of Racer.com.
Advertisement
“I think – I was just talking to the team here – I created a hole and allowed those two to get underneath me. Unfortunate. Man, I thought we had it, but that’s racing. It ain’t over until it’s over,” Wallace said after the race. “It’s unfortunate, but our Xfinity Toyota Camry was so damn fast. I’ve struggled here and, man, I have nothing to complain about. So, incredible day. A good day for the team, obviously, Tyler getting another win. A good points day for us. So, let’s keep it going.”
After two races, Wallace now has two top ten finishes and has led a total of 86 laps, plus received 29 stage points. That gives him 85 points overall and places him in second place in the NASCAR standings. Reddick, with the two wins, is currently in first place. Still, Wallace was left to think about the missed opprotunity with a great car on Sunday.
“It was awesome,” said Wallace of his car. “I knew about lap 30 when I moved to the bottom and started charging forward, ‘Oh, this is a really good car.’ I just wanted to make sure I did everything to not jeopardize our day and end up worse than what we did. So, another top 10 is great. Damn, I wish we were in victory lane again, but 36 more.”
Wallace will look to add to his point total next Sunday.
Advertisement
“COTA is next,” laughed Wallace, “We’ll go have some fun.”
Wallace has not had a lot of success on road courses, and Circuit of the Americas has not been great to him. Wallace has been better the last two times on this track, but has never finished better than 15th. Meanwhile, Reddick will look to make it three in a row. He won at COTA in 2023 and has been in the top five in four straight races there.
Related: Tyler Reddick pulls off feat last done in 2009 with Autotrader 400 win
