Bubba Wallace fails inspection at Kansas, loses pit stall selection, crew member
Bubba Wallace failed inspection twice Friday ahead of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
According to Dustin Long of NBC Sports, two failed inspections means Wallace will lose pit stall selection, with his car chief also being ejected. Wallace is the lone playoff driver to fail inspection twice. He later passed inspection on his third attempt.
Wallace, coming off a P7 finish in last Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, has work to do if he wants to extend his chances at winning a NASCAR Cup Series championship. The 29-year-old sits one point behind Christopher Bell for the final transfer spot to get into the Round of 12.
With two races remaining in the Round of 16, Wallace knows there’s no time for mistakes. Fortunately for Wallace, Kansas is a place he’s had success at in the past. Last season, Wallace raced his way to victory behind the wheel of the No. 45 car in place of the injured Kurt Busch. During the spring race at Kansas earlier this season, he finished fourth.
Bubba Wallace: ‘I think we have a really good shot’ to advance in playoffs
“I said it while we were fighting for the bubble in the regular season that we’re better than 16th. And I’ve said it once the playoffs started, we’re better than 16th,” Wallace told Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. “I think we have a really good shot. This first round is really suited for us. One down, two to go is what Freddie said after the race ended crossing the start-finish line last weekend. We just need to do the same thing we did at Darlington. I need to clean some things up for sure. But the way we executed in the second and third stage was really good and really positive.
“To walk away with a top-10 was big especially after the day started. But I think if we just go out and run our own race this weekend everything will take care of itself. If it’s meant to be, then we’ll move on. We have to make sure we don’t leave the race track Sunday night wishing that we would have done something different or knowing that there was something left out on the table.”