Has enmity turned into respect in Bubba Wallace‘s eyes for Kyle Larson? It would certainly seem so given his comments after the Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday. The 23XI Racing driver inadvertently spun the Hendrick Motorsports star with just over a couple of laps remaining in the race which had a huge impact on the result. After the race, Wallace was the most apologetic man on pit road as he heartily apologized to Larson and even had a bit of a spat with a popular NASCAR journalist for trying to make a headline out of nothing.

Bubba Wallace is confident that the contact was not intentional

Larson and Wallace battled to take the green and white checkered flag in stage 1 and were uncomfortably close to one another. The Hendrick Motorsports star eventually came out on top and the 23XI Racing driver had to wait to get his next shot. However, when that shot came with just over a couple of laps remaining in the race, Wallace got loose, bumped into Larson, and sent him spinning bringing out the caution. After the race, the 30-year-old was visibly disappointed as he spoke to eminent journalist Bob Pockrass and gave him a piece of his mind.

“Got loose. Karma’s a real thing. Cost us but…I was really content with fifth, had a good run but just got loose…I’ll apologize to the #5 team. Not intentional by a means but karma’s quick in this sport for sure,” he said. However things took a turn when Pockrass suggested that it looked like he had spun the HMS star on purpose. Not happy with the way the FOX journalist portrayed it, Bubba Wallace lost his cool and snapped, “That’s cause you’re saying it. Bob, stop making headlines.”

And while Wallace might have no personal grudge with Bob Pockrass, perhaps his frustration was more so rooted in the fact that he was pushed from P5 to P13 after the final restart. The feeling of losing positions through no one else’s fault must be crushing and he probably was thinking about the public’s perception of his unintentional bump given the history he and Larson have.

That being said, the 23XI Racing driver didn’t waste any time to extend his heartfelt apology to Larson right after the race in a pleasant example of sportsmanship.

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Wallace ensures there’s no bad blood between him and Kyle Larson

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Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace seem to have a bit of history when it comes to intentional wrecks. It all dates back to the Las Vegas race in 2022 when the two drivers got into a major fight after the HMS star had pinned him to the wall. And, in a purely retaliatory move, the 23XI Racing deliberately smashed into him, resulting in both getting wrecked out. The 30-year-old was fuming at the time and later even got into a physical altercation with the 2021 Cup Series champion. The fight, that was initiated by Wallace, wasn’t really appreciated by the NASCAR community and seemingly damaged his reputation quite a bit. Fast forward to the the Richmond race this weekend, and fans were almost witness to a similar incident unfolding with Wallace being the cause of Larson’s misery yet again.

However, this time, the 23XI Racing driver made sure to shut down critics before they even got to accusing him of spinning the HMS racer intentionally. After the race, Kyle Larson was seen giving an interview when Bubba Wallace approached him.

“It wasn’t intentional,” he said to the driver of the #5 on pit road. Larson was evidently not angry at him and even mentioned how the final restart helped him pit at the right time and finish P3. ” I know…and karma’s a f****ng b**ch, it caught up to me. So sorry about that,” the driver of the #23 car added, probably referring to that fateful day in Las Vegas some one-and-a-half years ago.

Well, isn’t that a nice ending to what could’ve been the start to a heated rivalry this season? Now that the fight is out of Bubba Wallace’s mind, he can concentrate on that victory lane visit that has seemed to elude him for so long! After the events on Sunday, he will be looking to make amends and prove to the world that he deserves to be in the Cup Series. Will his redemption come at Martinsville next weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

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