NASCAR can definitely be categorized as a contact sport, thanks to the constant tussles, shoving and even deliberate bumps. For the most part, drivers in the Cup Series try to distance themselves from their opponent’s car. However, at a venue like the Coliseum, there’s really not much wiggle room for the drivers to work with. Such venues allow the drivers to battle among themselves and fans witnessed a fine one between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace.
The Busch Light Clash served the fans exactly what it promised. Cautions, overtime, and heated battles between the drivers. Larson and Wallace have some history, and once again it was quite evident during the season opener at Coliseum. Both drivers couldn’t help but make contact with each other and Larson finally had enough from 23X1’s No.11 and spun him during the final few laps. The reason cited by HMS’s No.5 was that he wanted to get a payback on Wallace after all the trouble he caused him in the race.
Kyle Larson got even with Bubba Wallace at the Coliseum Clash
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There is only so much a driver can do on a quarter-mile asphalt track. With a total of 23 cars on the tracks, the space is at a premium and pole positions are contested heavily. In the final lap of the race, Larson realized that a win was out of his reach as Denny Hamlin had a comfortable lead. However, he remembered to settle his score with Bubba Wallace, who had been a constant thorn in his side throughout the 149 laps he ran during the race.
In the final lap, the 31-year-old decided to give Wallace a taste of his own medicine by bumping the No.23 car during the last turn for the finish line. Explaining the incident in a post-race interview, Larson said, “I think it was the second restart and I was able to get in front him and then leaders got started racing. Ty Gibbs got back in line and Bubba just decided to run through me and sent me through Ty and spun him. So I hated that because we were running fifth sixth and seventh.”
“I haven’t seen any of the replays from last restart but he got me again and then got me again in the next corner. I think at that point you know that was three times and my none. So I wanted to get him back before the checkered. I wasn’t trying to shove him through the corner like he was doing me and he ended up going around.”
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However, taking account of his past altercations with Bubba Wallace, Larson was hoping that he would forgive and forget about this incident at the Clash.
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Larson hopes that Wallace forgives and forgets about the incident at the Coliseum
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The Busch Light Clash is a pre-season race, so technically, it’s all fun and banter what happens at this event. However, Larson was not sure whether his competitor, Wallace, would forget about this incident. Notably, both drivers were involved in a physical altercation back in 2022 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Going into the Daytona 500, Larson certainly would not want Wallace to pull off another Vegas stunt at him.
“Obviously, Bubba and I have had a history in the past so I don’t really know. Hopefully, forgive and forget. I mean like I said he ran through me three times, I was the one who happened to get him at the end so I hope he understands that part. Given our history who knows, I’m over it, I probably would have been over it too if roles were reversed and I ran through him three times and he finally spun me out the last corner. It’s just the product of this racing.”
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If anything, this was possibly the start of a good rivalry fans could witness throughout the 2024 Cup Series.
Read More: What NASCAR Lost by Moving the Clash at the Coliseum Up to Avoid Forfeiting the Event