Massive Blow for Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch as Atlanta Weekend Already Turning Sour for the Two

Fans and racers were equally pumped about the Quaker State 400 by Walmart held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The weekend was one worth popping champagne for Aric Almirola, given that he bagged his first pole of the season on Saturday. Overall, Ford had an exceptional Saturday, taking the top 6 spots and boasting 8 Fords in the top 10. Almirola was joined in the front row by Ryan Blaney on Sunday. On the other hand, two of the racers had an unforgettable weekend, but for all the wrong reasons. 

Amidst the cheering roars for Almirola, Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace tasted dejection. Both had a rough start at the Cup Series qualifying and could not start their race on Sunday with the best confidence boost. 

Bubba Wallace has a botched qualifying lap

Bubba Wallace was among the only racers on Saturday who failed to post a qualifying run on Sunday. There seemed to be certain technical issues with the car that led him to abruptly change course and return to the pit. This was shortly after he pulled out of the pit road. As Wallace exited the pit road to start his warmup lap, he felt something wrong with his #23 Camry. As his car started strangely wiggling after the third turn, Wallace decided to not risk it. 

Wallace hasn’t been very graphic about the difficulties he faced in the qualifying. He claims that his pit crew has found out what the problem but he revealed little to nothing about it. Besides revealing that his #23 Toyota Camry felt unusually loose and that the issue was discovered and resolved, Wallace has been relatively tight-lipped. He had to shut down his racing and return to the pit lane even before he could begin with the timed lap. 

As a result, Wallace’s crew chief Zachary Marquardt has been ejected. Moreover, Wallace and his team have lost pit selection. However, he wasn’t alone in such misfortune. Kyle Busch was also a fellow sufferer. 

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Kyle Busch fails inspection in Atlanta…again

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In the Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta earlier this year, Kyle Busch failed inspection for the first time. It was a repeat for him on Saturday as he failed the inspection yet again. His crew chief, Clay Alexander, also has been ejected. Moreover, Kyle Busch and his #8 team have lost pit selection. While many teams failed to qualify in the first round of inspection, Busch’s was the only car that failed in the second round as well. 

It is safe to say that Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch, unlike Aric Almirola, did not exactly have the best weekend. With the teams all set to give their best on the tracks of Atlanta, fans of the two drivers were clinging on to see how they would fare in the absence of their crew chiefs. Even more importantly, if they somehow managed to take the lead, would they be able to ward off the battery by the 14 Fords? 

However, in the end, it was all for naught. Rain played spoilsport once more; Wallace crashed; Busch secured another top-5; and by sheer luck, William Byron took the checkered. The clouds were the darkest over the Ford camp.

Read More: “I Got My C**p Together”: Bubba Wallace Reveals His Most Formidable Rival in Candid Self Reflection