Was Bubba Wallace’s Penalty Harsh Enough?

Unless you’ve been buried under a rock this week, you’ve heard about the NASCAR Cup Series incident that took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday (Oct. 16) between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace.

On Tuesday, officials announced they have suspended Wallace one race due to his actions in the South Point 400. No additional fines or points deductions were imposed for what appeared to be intentional contact with Larson’s No. 5 followed by a physical altercation.

You can take one more look at what sparked the crash below.

Contact between @BubbaWallace and @KyleLarsonRacin! @CBellRacing is involved! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/tnDoLks2dz

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 16, 2022

Wallace will not file an appeal, serving the suspension during Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In his absence, John Hunter Nemechek will drive the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing.

Now that the dust has settled, was Wallace’s penalty too harsh or was it not tough enough? Michael Nebbia and Anthony Damcott debate the most infamous penalty of the 2022 season to date.

It Needed to Be Stiffer For Both Drivers Involved

What Bubba Wallace did to Kyle Larson at Las Vegas was egregious. It crossed the line, a level of aggression that left NASCAR officials no choice but to levy major consequences.

But the penalty enforced against Wallace by the sanctioning body wasn’t harsh enough. A one-race suspension? That’s it? That’s a slap on the wrist. You have to unilaterally send a message to not just drivers but teams that reactionary, retaliatory behavior like Wallace’s move should not, can not and will not be tolerated going forward, either on the track or off it.

First off, a fine should have been imposed along with the suspension itself. Almost every major off-track altercation we’ve seen through the past decade has resulted in monetary penalties.

As far as the crash? The way Wallace went after Larson reminded me of one of the more serious on-track incidents in recent years.

That took place in 2011, when Kyle Busch wrecked Ron Hornaday in the middle of a Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. In that event, Busch wrecked Hornaday under yellow for a full half-lap before spinning him out at nearly full speed. NASCAR’s reaction was harsh, parking Busch for the night before suspending him for the Cup race later that weekend.

Busch was also fined $50,000 for his actions. At bare minimum, Wallace should have been penalized just as…