NASCAR Awards Bubba Wallace 12th Place Despite Never Actually Finishing Clash At The Coliseum

Getty Image


Bubba Wallace is, by far, the most controversial figure in NASCAR today.

Now, much of that can’t attributed to the fact that he’s the only African American driver in the entire NASCAR Cup Series. But Wallace also isn’t afraid to speak his mind or be assertive on the track.

This weekend, however, Wallace turned heads when he was given a 12th-place finish the Clash at the Coliseum – a race he never actually finished.

The race itself was already a bit of a clown show. Though that’s not of NASCAR’s doing. The series moved the annual exhibition from Sunday to Saturday due to looming weather in Southern California.

That also meant a change in format, eliminating the heat races meant to set the field for the main event.

Wallace began the weekend strong, qualifying ninth in the field of 23, two spots ahead of teammate Tyler Reddick.

He gradually worked his way up through the field to sixth place before he was inadvertently spun out by Reddick, moving him deep in the pack.

After the spin, Wallace told his team that he had gone into “f— it” mode, not caring if he moved anyone else out of the way.

He casually worked his way back up through the back. While it was clear he wouldn’t reach the front, Wallace worked all the way back to fifth.

But on the last lap, he was once hit and spun.

NASCAR Awards Bubba Wallace 12th Place Finish In Clash at the Coliseum

This is where things get interesting.

Rather than straightening the car out and finishing the race (which was an exhibition, to be clear), Wallace decided to call it a night.

He pulled his car directly into the tunnel leading off the race track, never actually finishing the line. Despite this, he was scored in 12th place, the last car on the lead lap.

Which would make sense had Wallace actually finished all the laps. But in theory, he was a lap down. Even Wallace himself was confused.

All in all, it’s only a exhibition. But it’s a hilarious sequence that will likely only make Wallace haters even more mad.