Bubba Wallace was stripped of his runner-up finish after a final-lap mishap at Echopark Speedway. Wallace objected to NASCAR’s ruling and blamed Ty Gibbs for causing the penalty.
Wallace hoped for a three-wide battle with Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar, but went wide and dropped below the yellow line. He kept himself alongside the frontrunners until Gibbs pushed him on the checkered flag.
Wallace believes he wouldn’t have drawn a penalty if not for Gibbs’ move.
“[The rule] says advancing your position, which I did not do. I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I am going to wreck.’ I got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side,” wallace said via NASCAR’s official website.
“That move should have propelled us to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move. We will see what we can do, but I did not advance my position. I stayed third from the entry to three, all the way until 50 yards away, [Ty Gibbs] gave us a shot,” he added.
Bubba Wallace ended up 29th, the final spot on the lead lap. The result handed Wallace a 27-point swing that left him with just nine points.
With six races left in the regular season, Wallace needs to find breakthrough results to safely clinch a Chase spot. He currently stands 13th, with Austin Cindric and Shane van Gisbergen hot on his heels.
Ty Gibbs blames Bubba Wallace’s ‘disrespect’ after Atlanta race
Feb 11, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs (54) during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesTy Gibbs walked over to Bubba Wallace to discuss their final-lap miscue post-race. The two had a war of words and apparently couldn’t find common ground.
In an interview with Frontstretch, Gibbs called out Wallace and said,
“I wouldn’t tell him sorry because he cleared himself. Unfortunately, he showed a lot of disrespect. I don’t know. It seems like it didn’t really work out for him, but I was just trying to help him at the end by pushing him to the win.”
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