NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace released an apology Monday night for the incident that unfolded during a race over the weekend, but he quickly caught heat for not apologizing to the person that he violently attacked during the incident.
The incident happened during Stage 2 of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Wallace, who won Stage 1, was next to driver Kyle Larson when Larson attempted a three-wide pass.
Larson moved up the track and his car gave a slight tap to Wallace’s car, causing Wallace’s car to brush up against the wall. After brushing up against the wall, Wallace bounced into Larson’s car and then continued by following Larson’s car down the track and slamming into the rear of his car, causing both cars to spin out.
In a statement Monday night, Wallace claimed that he intends “to learn from this,” and he seemingly apologized to everyone except Larson:
I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car.
My behavior does not align with the core values that are shared by 23XI Racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport.
I want to apologize to NASCAR and the fans, along with Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota for putting them in a situation in the Playoffs that they do not deserve.
I compete with immense passion, and with passion at times comes frustration. Upon reflecting, I should have represented our partners and core team values better than I did by letting my frustrations follow me outside of the car. You live and learn, and I intend to learn from this.
Wallace initially did not take any responsibility for his actions during a post-crash NBC interview and claimed that he did not intentionally slam into Larson’s car, only saying that his “steering was gone” and that Larson “just so happened to be there.”
Wallace faced backlash over the statement online Monday evening with sports fans bringing up an incident from a couple of years ago when a crew member claimed to have found a noose in Wallace’s garage, which was false, while others claimed that Wallace tried to kill Larson by slamming his car into him at such a high speed.
“Did you every apologize for when you faked a hate crime?” former MMA fighter Jake Shields tweeted. “Any race car driver knows what a garage door pulley is.”
Another Twitter account called out Wallace seemingly believing that he was at the top of the sport. “Top of the sport? You’re ranked 19th bro,” the account tweeted.
Top of the sport? You’re ranked 19th bro.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 18, 2022
“You tried murdering a driver cuz you couldn’t keep up the pace,” commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted.
“You’re a race-hoaxing clown,” Sean Davis, CEO of The Federalist, tweeted.
“You almost killed another driver on the track,” commentator Jack Posobiec tweeted.
“This dude tried to kill another driver on the track and then got out and tried to fight him,” former college football player T.J. Moe tweeted. “The woke media cares more about the slip knot hoax he decided was a noose (that the FBI actually investigated!) than the murder this dude tried to commit on the race track. Unsurprising.”
“Why is this loser still allowed to race in @NASCAR?” commentator John Cardillo tweeted. “He has now fabricated a hate crime and physically attacked a fellow driver.”
Related: NBC’s On-Screen Telemetry Appears To ‘Disprove’ Bubba Wallace’s Claims About What Led To Crash