Bubba Wallace Sounds off on 39-Min IMSA Stint After Double Disqualification

It’s no secret that Bubba Wallace is on a mission to rewrite last year’s Cup Series result and step up to the standards that Denny Hamlin expects from 23XI Racing. But even so, when the opportunity to race in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the BMW M Endurance Challenge was presented to Wallace by Toyota and Smooge Racing, the 30-year-old couldn’t help but add another venture to his 2024 campaign. However, it looks like the Michelin Pilot Challenge posed more of a challenge to Wallace off the track than on it, ultimately leaving the 23XI racer questioning the reasons behind his double disqualification.

Bubba Wallace reveals the peculiar reason behind his disqualification after qualifying at the Michelin Pilot Challenge

In another move from NASCAR to make the world of motorsports collide, Bubba Wallace paired up with Corey Heim and John Hunter Nemechek to gain vital road-course experience with the Smooge Racing GR Supra in the GT4 class. While the team managed to finish the weekend in thirteenth overall after a wheel failure, the issues that plagued them the most also seemed to be triggered by the smallest of margins.

Reflecting on his IMSA experience on the Door Bumper Clear podcast with Dirty Mo Media, Wallace shared how his weekend at Daytona in late January unfolded for the worst. He stated, “(After) qualifying, I pull down pit road and I’m like, ‘Alright, we’re not gonna go any faster’. I’m getting out and the team’s talking to me and they’re like, you know, good job and I’m getting out while they’re talking to me and I shut the door.”

Whilst everything seemed perfectly fine after Wallace bagged 20th in qualifying, that would all change owing to one small action. The 23XI driver reflected, “I get back to the bus, and Kevin Conway, he was kind of running that whole deal for Smooge over there, and he was in the second team car, and he calls me like, “Hey, are you around? Can you come back over here? We’ve got something on our hands’. I’m like, ‘Okay’. Meanwhile, we qualified 20th, there are 27 cars. So I called him, I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ He’s like, ‘They’re DQ-ing you for getting out of the car.’ I’m like, ‘What?'”

While Wallace and the team had come up with an excuse as to why he was out of the car, it was to no avail. “And so, we go down there and told IMSA. I’m like ‘Hey, I was doing an interview, had to get out, you know, promoting the sport’. Not the case. Just got out because that’s what we usually do. And I come to find out why the DQ’ed us. It wasn’t because I got out. It was because I touched the door to close it,” the 30-year-old said.

READ MORE: Amid IndyCar Broadcast Bid, Fox Sports Needs to Fix Its NASCAR Broadcast Mistakes

And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the 23XI driver, Wallace was also disqualified from the main event for a minute mistake (pun intended).

Wallace couldn’t catch a break as a minor team error led to yet another DSQ

Trending

Historic NASCAR Track Shutting Its Door After Final Run Has Racing Community Heartbroken

NASCAR Rumor: 66-YO Surprise Daytona 500 Winner Could Make a Return to NASCAR in 2025

1 Year After Heartbreak, Shane van Gisbergen Dominates Rivals in Dirt Track Return

Shane Van Gisbergen Discloses a Major Problem in NASCAR After Leaving Supercars

Amid Sleepless Nights, Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Reveals Their 1-Month-Old Son’s 4 ‘Responsibilities’

Despite qualifying in P20, the DSQ from qualifying meant Wallace and Smooge Racing would begin the race down in the 27th spot, leaving a lot to be desired from the first lap. Fortunately, the experienced Cup Series driver navigated his way through the field effortlessly. However, all that effort would go down the train due to a miscalculation with Wallace’s mandatory stint time completion.

Wallace broke down the events leading up to his race disqualification, “So we went from 20th to 27th. By lap 1, I was back to 20th. And then, I go run my stint, and I’m all done, and the team is like, “Alright, we’re going to run John Hunter (Nemechek) and then Corey Heim is gonna finish us out. So we think you’re pretty good. You ran your allotted time’.”

Unfortunately for Wallace, he had just narrowly missed the mark by a single minute. He shared his disbelief, “Nope, I didn’t. I had to run for 40 minutes. Got DQ’ed 39 minutes and 20 seconds for old B Wallace. DQ’ed again. We blew up with 8 minutes to go!”

WATCH THIS STORY: No Clue How That Is a Penalty” – Kyle Busch Exposes NASCAR’s “Contradictory” Side After Being Left in Disbelief of Denny Hamlin’s Controversial Verdict

At the end of it all, Wallace and Co. managed to bring home the Toyota GR Supra in the thirteenth, an outing that could have been far better if not for the avoidable disqualifications. With that said, do you think the NASCAR officials are more lenient than the IMSA ones?