For a few unsettling moments at Charlotte Motor Speedway, nobody watching could be entirely sure how Bubba Wallace was doing.
His No. 23 Toyota had just taken a brutal hit during Sunday’s Bank of America 400. The car was badly damaged, Wallace wasn’t immediately responding over the radio, and NASCAR’s safety crew was quickly on the scene.
Wallace eventually climbed out and was cleared by the infield care center. But the images from Charlotte, particularly those moments before he exited the car, left fans with plenty of questions.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Wallace finally addressed those concerns while speaking with reporters at Phoenix Raceway. The update was encouraging, and his explanation of what happened inside the car helped put one of the weekend’s more frightening moments into perspective.
Bubba Wallace Reveals How He’s Feeling After Charlotte Crash
The accident began when Alex Bowman lost control of his car, triggering a collision that also involved Wallace and William Byron.
Wallace took a heavy hit against the outside wall before his damaged Toyota came back down the track and struck the inside wall.
He was eventually evaluated and released from the infield care center, where he offered a characteristically lighthearted assessment of his condition.
“I’m good,” Wallace said at the time. “Still have nine fingers and nine toes.”
That comment resurfaced Saturday when FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass asked whether Wallace had somehow managed to grow back the missing digits.
“Damn, did I say nine fingers, nine toes?” Wallace replied. “I don’t remember.”
“No, I’m all good. My hands are okay.”
The joking aside, Wallace did experience some soreness after the wreck. Fortunately, it didn’t linger.
“Just my back on Monday. I was sore and then went to sleep. Woke up Tuesday and 100%.”
Considering how hard he hit the wall, that was welcome news.
Wallace Explains the Scary Moments After the Impact
Beyond the physical toll, one question had followed Wallace from Charlotte to Phoenix: Why did it take him so long to respond and get out of the car?
The radio silence was particularly troubling because of the severity of the impact. Wallace remained inside the Toyota as the safety crew arrived, prompting concern that he might have lost consciousness.
He said Saturday that wasn’t the case.
“No, I had the wind knocked out of me. That was all. Yeah. Then obviously the videos.”
Wallace acknowledged that watching the footage afterward gave him a different perspective on how the situation looked to everyone else.
“I should have known that I was going to be on camera after, and I did not look good, but I was fine.”
It’s an important distinction. What looked like a potentially serious medical emergency from outside the car was, according to Wallace, a driver trying to catch his breath after an exceptionally hard hit.
And while the 23XI Racing driver was able to laugh about parts of the ordeal Saturday, the concern surrounding the accident was understandable.
Wallace now heads into Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway with the Charlotte crash behind him and, more importantly, no lingering pain reported from the impact.
The NASCAR Cup Series race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Bubba Wallace Breaks Silence on His Condition After Frightening NASCAR Crash