As Bubba Wallace revs up for the Charlotte Speedway showdown, he carries with him a weighty ambition. He isn’t just aiming for a good run; he is seeking that elusive visit to victory lane, a pivotal moment to keep his championship dreams alive. Consistently defying expectations, Wallace finds himself sitting just 10 points below the cutline as he enters Concord for the playoffs’ round of 12 elimination.

2023 is a banner year for Wallace, marking his debut in the playoffs. Yet, the cold, hard stats don’t exactly favor him in the quest for a trip to victory lane at the ROVAL. Memories linger of the harrowing 2018 crash that forced Bubba Wallace to pack his bags early on a Saturday.

Bubba Wallace and the 2018 Charlotte ROVAL crash

With five starts at the road course, Wallace has managed only one top-10 finish, securing a seventh place during his 2022 run under the 23XI banner. However, the road course’s history with Wallace dates back to its debut year in 2018, a year etched in memory for all the wrong reasons. During a qualifying session, disaster struck as Wallace found himself hurtling at full throttle toward the unforgiving tire barriers. The result was a mangled No. 43 car and Wallace being rushed to the medical center.

The North Carolina road course presents a unique challenge, with a twisty chicane into an oval track. The chicane, with its tight turns and overtaking opportunities, demands both speed and precision from drivers, pushing their skills to the limit. However, misjudging entry speed into the chicane can spell an abrupt end to a driver’s day, as Wallace experienced.

It wasn’t just Wallace who faced the brunt of the challenging backstretch chicane. Erik Jones found himself in a similar predicament during practice, suffering a crash that mirrored Wallace’s unfortunate fate. In response to such incidents, NASCAR made a significant decision six years ago to change the chicane and tire barriers. Fast forward to 2023, and fans find themselves lamenting its loss, urging NASCAR to reconsider its absence.

WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Exposes Boss Denny Hamlin’s Black Lie In Pocono Feud

Fan outcry as chicane change sparks passionate debate

Trending

NASCAR Rumor: Courtesy of a $38.76B Sponsor, Tony Stewart’s Dark Horse Secures a Seat With Brad Keselowski at RFK Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Enraged at Bubba Wallace After He Shot Himself in the Foot, Leaving Michael Jordan in Agony

NASCAR Rumor: Hendrick Motorsports Driver Soon to Be Given the Boot as Playoffs Stir Up the Silly Season

NASCAR Fans Urge Kyle Busch for a U-Turn Amid Rumors of Rick Hendrick’s Underachiever’s Exit

Denny Hamlin Trashes Bubba Wallace’s Darlington Win Narrative in 1-Word

The alterations to the ROVAL, particularly the chicane modification, have left fans dissatisfied, and they’re not holding back in expressing their discontent. The comments collectively emphasize a strong desire to see the track revert to its previous layout, as one fan vehemently demanded, “Put them back! These are professionals! Mistakes will be made; that’s what sets them apart.”

In a somewhat satirical tone, a fan proposed, “Go ahead and remove the outside walls, too, while you’re at it. That’ll certainly stop drivers from running into them,” highlighting the frustration with track modifications that seem to mitigate the consequences of driver errors. Another supporter firmly advocated for a return to the previous chicane layout, asserting, “Go back to this; drivers are capable of slowing down.”

Fans consistently called for a return to the original layout, emphasizing that it demanded skill and penalized mistakes. One fan lamented, “This is one of the reasons I hate the roval: the driver screws up and wrecks his car, and they change the track to accommodate driver errors.” Another fan wrote down, “Maybe y’all should stop this stupid cr*p & go back to the original use of the entire track.”

Read more: Bubba Wallace Revealed as a “Threat” to the Playoffs as Insider Makes Bold 1.5-Mile Claim

As the fiery online comments keep pouring in, the stage is set for an action-packed weekend on the asphalt. All eyes are on how the grid of eight will shape up at this race weekend.