NASCAR: Why Bubba Wallace crossed the line with Alex Bowman in Charlotte

The on-track drama between Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval was nothing new. But off the track, Wallace crossed the line.

Just one race after getting into a tussle with non-playoff driver Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, one of the 16 drivers who qualified for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, found himself in another tussle with another non-playoff driver, this time Darrell Wallace Jr. of Richard Petty Motorsports.

Wallace didn’t like how Bowman was driving him throughout the round of 16 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, and he continuously flipped him off as a result.

Bowman had had enough, and he eventually dumped Wallace.

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And there’s nothing wrong with this scuffle. We’ve seen Wallace take no prisoners on the track before, no matter who they are. We saw him get revenge at Kyle Busch for spinning him out in the race at Watkins Glen International. It didn’t matter that Busch was the regular season points leader.

If anything, Busch was in the wrong here for even engaging in this scuffle considering the fact that he has far more to lose as it pertains to his championship aspirations.

And in Bowman’s case, you could say the same thing. The difference is that Bowman was fighting for his playoff life, and he just barely survived to see another round as a result of his charge from the back of the field — multiple times — to finish in second place. His frustrations were more than justified, even considering the fact that Wallace had every right to race hard and be frustrated at him as well.

As long as non-playoff drivers are allowed to compete on the same track in the same playoff races as playoff drivers, there will be battles among drivers in both categories, and that can inevitably lead to drama.

But where Wallace crossed the line was off the race track.

Immediately after emerging from his #88 Chevrolet, Bowman ended up on the ground in need of medical attention, and he received it.

The outside temperature during this race was roughly 90 degrees, and inside the cars, it hovered around 120 degrees.

Keep in mind, this isn’t just sitting in 120 degrees — this is working hard at what is considered the toughest track on the schedule in 120-degree heat, and for more than three hours.

It should come as no surprise to anybody that we have seen drivers end up like Bowman before following races as hot and hotter than this one, and Bowman clearly did not look good after driving his heart out to finish in second place and keep his championship hopes alive.

But that didn’t stop Wallace from storming over and angrily squirting his drink in his face, much to the chagrin of the woman who was tending to the ailing Bowman.

His statement about the matter was even more reprehensible. Here is what he had to say, according to NASCAR.

"“He don’t like to race. He just runs over everybody. He gets to Lap 1 and he runs over me and the 3 (Austin Dillon) into the back chicane. We’re back there in the trunk, man. Just take it easy for a lap. He had a fast car and he just run over us. Shoot us through the chicane and then we get a penalty for it. Every time he gets to me, he just runs over me. Smooth move of playing the sick card so I couldn’t bust him in his mouth.”"

Right…I’m sure that Bowman’s goal on lap one of a race in which he needed to have great success to advance in the playoffs was to take out as many non-playoff drivers as possible and ruin his own day.

Bowman stated the following.

"“I don’t know if he was mad about the first lap or what but obviously, that was just a mistake. Then I got flipped over for every single straightaway for three laps. I got flipped off by him for three or four laps in Richmond so I was just over it. I gotta stand up for myself at some point, right? Probably wouldn’t have gotten wrecked if he had his finger back in the car…I probably shouldn’t repeat what he said to me, but nothing classy by any means. I mean, I get it, I’d be mad, too, but he put himself in that spot.”"

But the idea of who hit who and who meant to hit who is really beside the point here — that’s all on-track drama, and it’s inevitable in high-pressure situations.

Wallace’s off-track actions against Bowman while he was down and clearly out of it were what crossed the line, and he capped off his reprehensible actions when he stated: “Smooth move of playing the sick card so I couldn’t bust him in his mouth.”

Give me a break.

Who is he to accuse someone of faking an ailment, especially after it was well-documented that Bowman was, in fact, not feeling well earlier in the week?

Does he really think that Bowman was just playing sick to avoid a confrontation after driving his tail off to come through the field from the back to second place over the course of nearly three and a half hours in 120-degree heat?

Does Wallace really think that Bowman couldn’t possibly have been sick simply because he wasn’t feeling the same effects?

Bowman obviously wasn’t in a position to defend himself against Wallace no matter what he decided to do, and Wallace decided to come after him anyway, which is very telling.

Maybe he just needs to drive harder instead of worrying about flipping off a guy lap after lap who even he admits is much, much faster that he is.

Will anything more come of these on-track and off-track run-ins between Alex Bowman and Darrell Wallace Jr. throughout the remainder of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?

NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell stated that he would be having a conversation with Wallace about the matter prior to the next race. Here is what he had to say, according to NASCAR.

"“I would say I will be having a conversation with Bubba Wallace. That was really not classy whatsoever. I understand that drivers have issues with each other during the race. We totally get that, but with drivers on the ground being tended to by medical personnel, you need to be smarter than that, and we’ll have that conversation with Bubba and we’ll see how that goes, obviously prior to Dover.”"

Bowman and 11 other drivers are set to compete in the round of 12, which is scheduled to begin at Dover International Speedway with the Drydene 400 this Sunday, October 6. NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast this race live beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.