Bubba Wallace Accepts His Harsh Karma as Kyle Larson Bests Him in Qualifying at Martinsville

It is set to be a double celebration for Hendrick Motorsports. Not only will the winningest team of NASCAR mark its 40th Anniversary in Martinsville, but also the team’s speedster Kyle Larson went on to win his second consecutive pole position for Sunday’s race. While that news is gratifying, Larson also beat his supposed nemesis and 23XI Racing‘s driver Bubba Wallace to win the pole position.

Renewing their rivalry for another race weekend, it is apparent that Bubba Wallace is on the verge of being bitten back by ‘karma’ after his on-track debacle with Kyle Larson on the track of Richmond.

Self-deprecating humor takes center stage in the #23 shop

Just six days back, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson were involved in an unfortunate on-track debacle that jeopardized Larson’s potential victory. While this incident could have led to a bitter confrontation between the two drivers, especially given their past incidents, the 23XI Racing driver chose to call in peace and apologized for his antic.

However, Wallace had already prophesied that payback would be waiting for him, and his words could not be even more true. Kyle Larson’s pole position resulted from outduelling Wallace by a measly 0.001 seconds. Apprised by the results, Wallace posted a collage of him nudging Larson in Richmond, which left the #5 Chevrolet driver reeling on the track, and the other was him apologizing to Larson, stating that it was not intentional. Poking fun at himself, Wallace also captioned the video: “That’s karma.”

During the qualifying session, it was only Larson and Wallace that exceeded a speed of 96 mph. Wallace notched his best lap at 96.029mph, while Larson edged over his nemesis at 96.034 to earn his second consecutive pole in the race. Moreover, the HMS driver’s pole position puts him in an advantageous position and defends his title from last year, and couldn’t come at a more befitting time.

In the post-qualifying interview, when asked about losing the pole to Larson by a miniscule of second, Wallace stated, “Of all people, it would be Larson. They are good, he is one of the best. So proud of our team.” Wallace then went on to congratulate his rival for his pole position. 

However, the party is set to happen at the HMS race shop as Larson succeeded in securing the ever-so-important pole position that will put him at a great advantage at Martinsville.

The HMS driver scores his career’s second consecutive pole

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Kyle Larson’s starting on the pole this weekend marks the second consecutive pole position in the driver’s career. The driver first notched his consecutive pole positions back in 2017 at Michigan and Sonoma. 

Nevertheless, not only leading the HMS stable but the whole pack, the former Cup Series champion was more than elated. Speaking to the media in the post-qualifying interview, Larson stated, “That was honestly a bit unexpected. I mean, I knew we’d be good that second lap. Didn’t feel, that great.”

Also Read: NASCAR Cup Qualifying: Kyle Larson Holds Off Bubba Wallace to Take the Pole for Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway

With the race already promising to be an intriguing affair, it will be interesting to see if Larson can finally take his revenge on Bubba Wallace to mark his second victory and add to the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports.