It hasn’t been an easy journey in the Cup Series for Alex Bowman for the past two years. While he remained an important armor in Rick Hendrick’s team, success on the track looked a distant thought until last Sunday. The #48 cruised to victory in the Chicago Street Race, bringing much delight to the Hendrick Motorsports camp. However, it came with a controversy involving Bubba Wallace.

The 23XI Racing driver has been witnessing a challenging 2024 season so far. With just three top-five and six top-ten finishes in the 20 races until now, Wallace faces a daunting task in qualifying for the playoffs. Unfortunately, his act in Chicago has only jeopardized his position more, especially with NASCAR investigating deeply into the matter.

Bubba Wallace could face a strong disciplinary verdict from NASCAR after post-race drama in Chicago

The Grant Park 165 proved to be a tricky race, with rain once again playing its role in the outcome. For the second consecutive year, rain affected the Cup Series race in Chicago, as it delayed the race for nearly two hours after Stage 1. While many drivers switched to wet tires, it became a challenge to time the return to the slick primary tires.

With Alex Bowman and his team making a smart choice with the tires, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished his 80-race winless streak. Indeed, it brought a massive sigh of relief. After suffering from a concussion in September 2022 and a back injury in April last year, the #48 team made strong efforts to return to victory lane.

Eventually, Bowman triumphed in Chicago to end his on-track woes. However, it came with a tussle involving Bubba Wallace. During Stage 1, Bowman’s contact spun Wallace in Turn 2 on the Lap 25 restart. Naturally, this disappointed the #23 driver, as he eventually finished P13 in the race. That said, he ended up venting out his frustration on Bowman with an unexpected gesture.

The 23XI Racing driver door-slammed Rick Hendrick’s driver on the cool-down lap. While Bowman didn’t make any fuss about the incident, former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace feels Wallace will face NASCAR’s wrath. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the 60-year-old shared his thoughts on the race and gave him insight on the Wallace-Bowman incident.

While Kenny Wallace agreed that the #23 driver looked pissed with the Stage 1 incident, he specified how NASCAR never favors what he did after the race. He said, “NASCAR does not like any of that stuff going on when the race is over.” While Kenny Wallace didn’t think the incident was worth making a deal out of, he estimated what the ruling body could come up with.

According to him, NASCAR could end up punishing Bubba Wallace with a $25,000 fine. With the verdict likely to come out by Tuesday night, it is interesting to see what the governing body does. Most importantly, could it end up hampering Wallace’s playoff chances?

Can Bubba Wallace’s post-race antics in Chicago cost his playoff ambitions?

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In recent times, NASCAR has been strict with its punishments and regulations. What happened in the Chicago race was unfortunate but, at the same time, uncalled for. As Kenny Wallace highlighted, Bubba Wallace’s decision to door-slam Alex Bowman didn’t raise any alarms. That said, NASCAR has treated matters severely in this regard.

Back in 2001 in Bristol, both Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon enjoyed a good tussle on the track. While the rivalry between the two Cup Series legends was at its peak then, it got a bit out of hand in the Food City 500. The race ended with Stewart spinning out after Gordon bumped into the back of his car. While the HMS driver pleaded his innocence, Smoke didn’t take the incident well.

Instead, he intentionally crashed Jeff Gordon’s car at the end of the race on the cool-down lap. While Stewart spun Gordon out on pit road, he faced strict disciplinary action then. Not only was he fined $10,000 then, but he was also placed on probation for his intentional act. While NASCAR proved to be intense then, there is no reason why it could not do the same with Bubba Wallace.

As compared to the $10,000 fine in 2001, a $25,000 fine wouldn’t look that big an amount in Bubba Wallace’s case. However, the biggest concern from Wallace’s angle would be the playoff scenario. Currently, he stands 45 points below the playoff cutoff line with six races in hand. Should NASCAR deduct any points, it could prove to be a game-changer in the final-16 scenario.

While there’s nothing that Bubba Wallace could do about it, it could go either way for him. It certainly adds a bit more excitement before the NASCAR ruling. What do you think the right decision should be in this case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.