Wallace appreciates support after wreck
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Today marks one week since NASCAR Cup Series rookie Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. was in a violent wreck at Pocono Raceway.
No matter how much time passes, Wallace believes he’ll never forget it.
“I’m still reliving it,” Wallace said Friday at Watkins Glen International. “And it’s a tough one to watch, but man we hit a ton.”
The 400-mile race on the tri-oval in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, was red-flagged with six laps left after Wallace crashed. The brakes failed on the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Chevrolet, and the car shot across the grass before slamming into the wall. Several tense moments passed before Wallace flipped down his window net.
Once out of the car, the 24-year-old driver sat on the track, then slumped against his car before being taken to the venue’s medical center. Wallace said he is healed and ready to go racing again.
“It’s all good,” he said.
When seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt died after crashing on the final lap of the Daytona 500 to open the 2001 season, safety in NASCAR became a focal point. That Wallace was not injured is a testament to the progress that has been made. The collision cracked a section of the energy-absorbing SAFER barrier.
“It’s good to be able to come away and walk away from that and just know that I had a lot of people’s support,” Wallace said. “That was pretty cool as well. I think that was obviously a big highlight for me, was just getting out and seeing everybody reaching out and showing their levels of concern.
“It’s a fascinating wreck to watch,” he added. “I hate that it’s mine, you know? So, all week long, and even up to this day, I still see it just because it’s on Instagram and Twitter. People are putting it out there and people are taking stuff from the podcast and creating articles about it.”
Wallace, who finished second in this year’s Daytona 500, the highest finish for a black driver in NASCAR’s signature event, has only one other top-10 finish in his first 21 races in the No. 43 car. He has led laps this season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.