23XI Racing Co-Owner Shares They’ve ‘Dealt’ with Bubba Wallace In a Way That Goes ‘Above and Beyond’ NASCAR Penalties

Bubba Wallace will not be racing Sunday, as he was suspended by NASCAR after intentionally crashing into another race car and roughing up another driver.

John Hunter Nemechek will be substituted for Wallace in Sunday’s race.

Co-owner of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin, said of Wallace, “He understands where I stand, where the team stands, the values that we want to present on the racetrack, and he just didn’t represent it that well last week. But you know, in the grand scheme of things, we’re very happy with his progress. And he knows he’s still got some stuff to work on when he gets out of the race car.”

Hamlin also shared that the team has dealt with matters in a way that goes “above and beyond” the penalties handed down by NASCAR. He didn’t further elaborate on the statement.

Last week in Las Vegas, Wallace intentionally wrecked into Kyle Larson, the pair had a small scuffle after the wreck. NASCAR responded by suspending Wallace over safety, and so he will miss out on the race in Miami this Sunday.

Michael J. said he had no issue with Wallace’s suspension, only NASCAR’s inconsistency.

Michael J. asked the athletic, “As a Bubba Wallace fan, I have no issues with NASCAR suspending him, as it was warranted. My issue is with the lack of consistency of calls. We all know if it’s Chase Elliott who does this or someone does the same thing Bubba did for a win, NASCAR will look the other way and call it a “racing incident.” Do you think they have the guts to park Chase Elliott or someone who purposely wrecks another competitor for the win regardless of the track?”

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s COO, shared on Tuesday, “We thought that was intentional and put other competitors at risk. And as we look at the sport and where we are today and where we want to draw that line going forward, we thought that definitely crossed the line and that’s what we focused on in terms of making this call.”

It at least appears that NASCAR is moving in a different direction and drawing a line that they won’t allow to be crossed any longer. The decisions will now center around whether a driver placed another in jeopardy of injury.

ESPN reported on another driver who is also in the spotlight for causing trouble:

Two weeks ago, NASCAR issued $200,000 in fines after finding that Stewart-Haas Racing driver Cole Custer slowed on the backstretch of the final lap in Charlotte and helped teammate Chase Briscoe move up enough to reach the next round of the playoffs. Custer and his crew chief, Mike Shiplett, were both fined $100,000 after NASCAR determined Custer’s slowdown was deliberate.

“NASCAR’s like your parents a lot of times,” playoff leader and title contender Joey Logano said. “There’s a line of, you know, you’ve got to let the boys figure it out sometimes, and they’ll figure it out together and move on or Mom and Dad has to step in a little bit and control the situation because it’s gotten out of hand. So I believe NASCAR kind of decided it’s getting out of hand.

It appears that changes are in effect with NASCAR decisions. While Wallace has chosen not to attend This Sunday’s race he will be in the team garage

NASCAR Suspends Controversial Driver Bubba Wallace for One Race Following the ‘Intentional Wrecking’ of Another Vehicle and Shoving of a Fellow Driver

‘Unhinged’ Bubba Wallace Challenges Driver to a Fight and Pushes Him Multiple Times After Appearing to Intentionally Wreck Him