BROOKLYN, Mich. – Bubba Wallace took his time.
A few minutes after he finished second in Sunday’s (Aug. 7) NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Wallace did not exit his racecar.
As Kevin Harvick celebrated ending his 65-race winless streak on the frontstretch, Wallace sat in his No. 23 Toyota on pit road, his helmet on and the safety net still up.
Roughly a minute after he came to a stop, Wallace let the net down. For another 20 seconds Wallace sat still staring straight ahead.
Finally, the 23XI Racing driver pulled himself out of the car and began removing his racing gear. When he was done, Wallace briefly leaned against his car and stared out toward the grandstands before kneeling down to further collect himself.
Once he was done, Wallace began the slow circuit of talking to TV reporters and receiving encouragement and congrats from crew members and team owner Denny Hamlin, who finished third behind Wallace.
Hamlin told him “great job, great job all weekend. Him and his team did a great job … the whole team continues to get better and we’re happy with the results.”
Wallace then disappeared over the pit wall and into Victory Lane to congratulate Harvick on his win.
“Bubba and I have a great relationship,” Harvick said. “We talk and joke and pick. I could tell he was a little bit frustrated because he knew how fast his car was today,” Harvick said later. “There’s great respect there and we have conversations a lot. It’s fun to see them running good, but I’d much rather win, though.”
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) August 8, 2022
When Wallace re-appeared over the wall, it was time for more interviews to discuss his career-best fourth consecutive top-10 finish and his third top five in the last four races.
But after starting from his first career Cup pole and leading a career-best 23 laps to start the 400-lap race, none of that mattered.
“I finished second. Second doesn’t get you into the playoffs,” Wallace said.
With Harvick’s win, there’s now just one spot left in the playoff field open to a potential first-time winner or someone getting in on points.
On Saturday, Wallace had recounted a story from a tire test earlier this year. It had gone so well, Wallace had told his team he’d be “very pissed off’ if he didn’t win at the 2-mile track.
Instead, he finished 2.9 seconds back from a potential second career Cup win.
“Way worse than Daytona….
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