Bubba Wallace No. 23 car penalized after failing pre-race inspections

NASCAR handed down a punishment to Bubba Wallace and the 23 car for the Coca-Cola 600, as they were penalized for failing inspections. Wallace’s team failed the pre-race inspection twice before Sunday’s race, and as a result, they lost their ability to select a pit stall and their car chief was ejected.

The No. 23 car did pass inspection on the third go-around, but the penalty could be a factor for the 23XI Racing team at race time. Wallace was slated to start the race in the top ten after rain delays on Saturday canceled practice and qualifying runs for the Cup Series. Sunday’s race will continue as scheduled, with the starting order determined by the rule book instead of qualifying times.

Bubba Wallace, 23 car penalized

The penalties assessed by NASCAR officials may not be immediately clear how much they impact Wallace and his team, but not being able to select their pit stall is certainly not ideal. In addition, the 23 team will be without their car chief for the race — something that could cause further problems on race day.

NASCAR car chiefs work directly with the crew chief and are tasked with multiple jobs that are part of organizing the crew and car both for the race. Car chiefs are also tasked with making sure vehicles meet the criteria set by NASCAR for inspections — and often are in charge of day-to-day preparations for the vehicle.

The car chief works as a go-between frequently for the crew chief and the crew itself, supervising modifications and work done to the car as ordered by driver and crew chief.

Unfortunately, Wallace and the No. 23 car were the only team to fail the pre-race inspection twice out of Cup Series drivers.

Bubba Wallace wins Sports Emmy

It’s been a busy week for Wallace on and off the track, as he recently took home a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Documentary Series — Serialized” for his Netflix documentary series “Race: Bubba Wallace.”

The six-episode series takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season through the eyes of the only Black driver at the top level of the sport, and explores Wallace, 23XI Racing, and NASCAR’s efforts to advocate for inclusion and equality in racing and beyond, Netflix states.

Wallace’s documentary series won out over Prime Video‘s “Coach Prime,” Netflix‘s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” HBO‘s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions,” and Netflix‘s “Last Chance U.”