NASCAR: Bubba Wallace is set to make his return

Bubba Wallace is set to return to NASCAR Cup Series action after becoming the first driver suspended since the 2015 season.

After missing this past Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Bubba Wallace is set to return to 23XI Racing and drive the #45 Toyota in this coming Sunday afternoon’s race at Martinsville Speedway.

Wallace became the first Cup Series driver to be issued a suspension for on-track antics in nearly seven years after he intentionally retaliated against Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two Sundays ago.

Larson’s three-wide move to the inside had left Wallace squeezed against the turn four wall, and while the two cars never made contact, Wallace ended up making slight contact with the wall when he refused to lift. As Larson moved to the bottom of the track to complete his move, Wallace pursued him and hooked him in the right rear.

The ensuing crash ended the day for both drivers, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, one of Toyota’s two remaining championship contenders, unfortunately ended up being collateral damage.

Wallace’s initial denial of intent was quickly disproven by an ensuing investigation.

John Hunter Nemechek was called upon by the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team to fill in for Wallace at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After qualifying in fourth place, he could never rebound from an early spin and finished in 27th.

Nemechek filling in for Wallace meant that 23XI Racing’s entire driver lineup was made up of replacement drivers, as Ty Gibbs has filled in for Kurt Busch since Busch was sidelined with concussion-like symptoms following his qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway back in July.

Interestingly, Nemechek was 23XI Racing’s designated emergency replacement driver entering the 2022 season, but it was Gibbs who got the late call to replace Busch when Busch was ruled out. Gibbs has filled in for Busch ever since, having now made 14 Cup Series starts ahead of his likely full-time promotion to Joe Gibbs Racing as Kyle Busch’s replacement next year.

Prior to Wallace’s suspension, Matt Kenseth was the Cup Series driver who had been most recently suspended for his on-track actions. He intentionally wrecked Joey Logano at Martinsville Speedway back in October 2015 and was suspended for the next two races.

Tune in to NBC at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 30 for the live broadcast of the Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now if you have not already done so!