If there’s one person you can rely on almost every time for insider NASCAR information ahead of everyone else, it has to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. The former Hendrick Motorsports driver has time after time again ‘predicted’ reports, be it major or minor, ahead of their official release.
However, sometimes even the ultimate insider can be wrong.
Just as he was about the penalty of Bubba Wallace.
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Bubba Wallace has been suspended one race for intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/DwAlyFxOkc
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 18, 2022
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Dale Earnhardt Jr’s prediction comes awfully Untrue
In an episode of the Dale Jr. Download, the NASCAR Hall of Famer opened up on his stance on the then-forthcoming penalty to Bubba Wallace after he intentionally wrecked Kyle Larson in Vegas.
“My position on this, I think NASCAR is going to look at it the same way, and look at it through the same lens as they looked at the (Noah) Gragson incident, as they looked at the (William) Byron incident,” he said.
“I think, Noah got 30 points, $35,000, Byron’s was adjusted to no points and a $100,000, but I could see this since NASCAR went and changed the rules.”
Junior elaborated on how NASCAR had to change the wording in the rulebook after the Byron appeal. “There was a line in the rulebook that said, ‘When somebody wrecks somebody on purpose, there could be points and/or a fine.’ They took the ‘or’ out, so now it’s points and a fine, that’s the way it reads,” he described.
“NASCAR adjusted the line in there so there will be a points component to the next penalty given to the driver for doing something like that, wrecking somebody on purpose.”
With that said, Dale Jr. then made his prediction of the penalty – “I think, if I had to guess, it’s going to be a 100 owner points, 100 drivers points, and a $100,000. (It) could be a little more on the monetary side because of the speed.”
But as we know now, it wasn’t what he predicted.
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In fact, it was comparatively tiny.
Just a one-race suspension.
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Your thoughts?