NASCAR has introduced many changes to its rule books over the years. The most notable change came in 2017 when the motorsports organization introduced the stage racing format. Breaking up its races into smaller segments, usually three stages, NASCAR introduced stage racing to pump up the excitement factor during the races. The stage restarts would break the monotony of long races and increase the chances of entertaining spin-out action. 

Apart from increasing the in-race drama quotient, completing every stage would also award bonus points to the top ten drivers. The winner of every stage would be awarded 10 points, the runner-up, 9 points, and so on. While NASCAR’s novel approach was appreciated by many, the stage points system didn’t sit well with a few drivers.

Bubba Wallace gets consumed by greed

Suffering from subpar performance throughout the 2023 season, Bubba Wallace scrambles for a spot in the playoffs. Arriving at Long Pond for the HighPoint.com 400 Cup Series race, the 23XI Racing driver was determined to churn out race-winning results.

During the final qualifying round at Pocono, Wallace was eyeing the pole position, which would better his chances of accumulating points for a playoff spot. Exiting Turn 1, the 23XI Racing driver went high and rubbed his #23 Toyota with the outer wall. 

Sustaining damage, Wallace pulled into the pits, being awarded the 10th spot on the starting lineup. This incident was a direct result of Bubba’s greed for collecting more points in a bid to secure a playoff spot.

Opening up about the qualifying incident on Twitter, Bubba Wallace wrote – “The twin killers of success is impatience and greed,” “Put my guys behind trying to get too much, car is fine. Mental reset and get ready for tomorrow.”

These comments from Bubba Wallace insinuated his earlier claims of how the NASCAR points system “bit us in the b*tt”.

Bubba Wallace blames NASCAR’s system for playoff inability

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Before the start of the 2023 season, 23XI Racing co-owner, Denny Hamlin had high hopes regarding Bubba Wallace’s performance. But as the season progressed, Hamlin proceeded to snub Wallace from his list of potential playoff drivers owing to the #23 driver’s poor performance. Unable to extract optimum performance from his machine during the races, Wallace witnessed drivers head into the playoffs, aided by stage points.

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Speaking to Bob Pockrass before Pocono’s qualifying round, Wallace had some sharp words regarding NASCAR’s points system. “We had that conversation going in the last weekend. It’s like, I hated points racing, its always bit us in the b*tt”, the 23XI Racing driver said.

Wallace further added, “But we gotta start doing that. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a winning car, but we had speed to run in the top five for sure. We just haven’t executed to do that. So we gotta put it all together, get points, get some wins, and then we’ll be good.”

With only five races remaining in the Cup Series regular season, can Bubba Wallace secure a spot in the playoffs?

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Warns Bubba Wallace To Watch Out Amid Creeping Playoff Desperation