With NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace missing the mark and being dropped from the Charlotte Roval on Sunday, the sport’s bad boy is congratulating himself on having “matured” past the point of “punching” things.
Wallace finished in 16th at Charlotte Motor Speedway and dropped from the next round after ending up in a wreck with fellow racers Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric, Fox News reported.
Despite ending up on the outside looking in, Wallace characterized his efforts as a success.
Bubba Wallace says this playoff run was about proving people around the sport wrong, inside the sport wrong.
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 8, 2023
He always feels like he's matured in how he handles a defeat like today. pic.twitter.com/CIGcCDGZzp
“We weren’t supposed to be here, according to a lot of people. But we proved them wrong and proved a lot of people in the garage wrong that you can’t really count on the 23 in a road course race, right. That’s cool to say. Gotta keep continuing to work. I don’t think we’re a winning car yet, but we’re light years where we were a few races ago,” Watson said after the race.
But the “noose” accuser had more praise for himself.
“Ten years ago, I’d be ready to punch something. I guess that’s maturing and growing up … and accepting the fate – it wasn’t meant to be,” he said.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Leidos Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros before the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 08, 2023, in Concord, North Carolina. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Watson also lashed out to the penalty over not making a complete stop on the chicane that NASCAR doled out to him, calling it a “BS rule.”
“They don’t care. They love the entertainment factor and screwing somebody else,” he reportedly said. “I need to work on that, put ourselves in better spots to not get wrecked. I’m honestly surprised no one’s walked up and said sorry. That’s kind of bullshit.”
The Round of Eight that Wallace will have to watch from home will begin Sunday in Las Vegas with the South Point 400.
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