Bubba Wallace had a blunt reaction after a chaotic NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. The 23XI Racing driver called the Enjoy Illinois 300 “super frustrating and embarrassing” after a race that produced a record 18 cautions, two red flags, and a double-overtime finish.
Wallace finished 14th in his No. 23 Toyota after spinning twice and became 23XI Racing’s highest-finishing driver. Nine cars also failed to finish as repeated crashes disrupted the field.
Wallace said drivers struggled to build any rhythm because of the constant cautions and described the racing package as difficult to handle. His comments came after several incidents involving playoff contenders, adding another layer to a NASCAR race already marked by heavy contact and repeated stoppages.
Bubba Wallace Blasts Chaotic NASCAR Race
Wallace said the repeated cautions made it difficult for drivers to settle into the race.
“Caution after caution, just trying to get into a rhythm. We’re all fighting for it, and this package was kind of a handful.”
The NASCAR Cup Series race featured contact throughout the field, with several drivers caught in major incidents. Wallace was involved in two incidents and had to deal with damage during the race.
He said one of the incidents started after he got a strong run on a restart but felt he had been crowded while fighting for position.
“But the two instances I had, I had a great run on the restart of the 19. And again, this is with me without seeing it all, just I felt like I got crowded. I need to go back and see if I actually had more room to get up or whatnot.”
NASCAR Crashes Leave Bubba Wallace Frustrated
Wallace also accepted that he played a part in some of the contact during the NASCAR race.
“So it’s just, we’re all fighting for the same real estate. Everybody hit everything out here today.”
He separated brake problems from incidents caused by drivers pushing hard for position.
“Now, you can’t help brake problems. Those are all an issue with themselves. But just running over people, getting in those, I was a part of multiple. And it was frustrating. So just, this is what it is, we’re all aggressive.”
When asked why drivers were so aggressive, Wallace gave a short answer.
“I have no idea. I don’t know. That’s a great question,” he said.
The race ended with nine cars failing to finish, while several championship contenders were caught in the crashes.
Bubba Wallace Explains 23XI Racing Brake Package
Despite the heavy contact, Wallace said his Toyota did not suffer from brake problems.
“Yeah, my car was fine. We’ve really worked on our brake package a lot over the last six years. And we feel like the 23 group’s gotten to a really good spot for brake.”
Wallace’s 14th-place finish made him the highest-finishing 23XI Racing driver. Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst also struggled as crashes repeatedly changed the running order.
The result left Wallace and 23XI Racing with a difficult Cup Series afternoon in a race where every position mattered.
NASCAR: Bubba Wallace Calls Chaotic Cup Series Race “Embarrassing” After Wild Crash-Fest