Bubba Wallace Hit With Penalty for Code of Conduct Infraction in Chicago

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 on Wednesday, July 10, for violating the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct during the Grant Park 165 Cup Series race on July 8. According to a report from NASCAR, Wallace violated Sections 4.4.B & D of the code, which is not publicly available.

“During the cool-down lap after the conclusion of the 2024 Chicago Street Race, Wallace slammed the door of his No. 23 machine into the side of Chicago winner Alex Bowman’s no. 48 Chevrolet,” NASCAR reported, putting it up against the wall outside Turn 12 and earning the penalty. 

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Bubba Wallace & Alex Bowman Had Contact Earlier in the Race

The penalty-inducing stunt occurred during the cool-down lap after the checkered flag had been waved and the race had officially ended but before the drivers exited their vehicles. 

Wallace’s frustration with Bowman wasn’t because he won the race but because of a confrontation between the two cars in Stage 1. Earlier in the race, Bowman and Wallace had a moment of contact, which made Wallace spin into the wall. It’s hard to say if this incident ultimately caused Wallace to finish the race in 13th while Bowman took first, but either way, Wallace took out his frustration on Bowman’s car post-race. 

“The restart was chaotic,” Bowman said during the post-race press conference. “I just made every wrong decision I possibly could, and I was fighting with my windshield wiper switch trying to get the thing working and I couldn’t get it working, and I was focused on that, missed the corner and cleaned him out. I locked all four tires up and slid right into him. I just messed up and absolutely ruined his day.”

“He barely hit me,” Bowman added. “Everything was fine, and it was plenty deserved.”

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Chase Elliott & Daniel Suarez Tangle Too

While the TV cameras were focused on Wallace and Bowman tangling in the cool-down lap, a similar infraction occurred between Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez, although NASCAR officials have yet to levy a penalty on Elliott. 

Elliott was on pace for a top-15 finish and extending his streak of a top-20 finish for all 20 Cup races this season  when a moment of contact ruined it all. 

In the final lap of the race, on the final turn of the track with the checkered flag in sight, Suarez drove into the rear of Elliott’s No. 9 car, which sent the vehicle spinning. 

Elliott was upset, given that he was in the final few meters of the race when everything was upended. And, in his frustration, Elliott decided to speed up through the rest of the field on the cool-down lap to catch up with Suarez between Turns 5 and 6. Once Elliott had Suarez in his sight, he rammed into the passenger-side door of Suarez’s car before speeding ahead and brake-checking him.

There’s been a few discussions as of late over the growing rivalries in the sport, the on-track gratuitous aggression and respect between drivers. Sure, fans love the drama, but the teams don’t love the poor PR and the financial strain of needless damage done to the cars. 

It’s unclear if NASCAR will draw a line in the sand to prevent further incidents like this from taking place outside of the race, or if they’ll penalize Elliott the way they did Wallace. 

Wallace is currently 15th in the driver standings, with 476 points this season, 0 wins, but 6 Top-10s and 3  Top-5 finishes. Elliott is second in the driver standings, with 660 points, 1 race win, 9 Top-10s, and 7 Top-5 finishes.

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