Bubba Wallace spins out on final lap of Stage 1 at Darlington

While trying to fight hard for that last spot with Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace spun out at the very end of Stage 1 at Darlington. When it is the NASCAR Playoffs, you have to give it all you got without going over the edge, and Wallace just barely went over the edge.

Bubba Wallace was running well, but not great. His team a mistake on pit road with his crew being slow once again. Wallace had almost made it to the top-10 group before that mistake. Then, he was racing for the 11th spot in the first stage and just lost it.

As Wallace and Logano came around Turn 4, the 23 tipped up for a second, hit the 22 and went around. No real damage to Wallace’s car, and he was going to swap those tires anyway. However, it doesn’t help his track position at all entering Stage 2.

Denny Hamlin won the stage as his driver spun around.

The No. 23 goes for a slide coming to the green-and-white checkered! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/2pEc5SQDBu

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 3, 2023

On his radio after the incident, Bubba Wallace told his team, “All right, time to get my f***ing head out of my ass.”

So, Wallace appears to have shaken off the rust. Or perhaps this is just a sign of things to come at Darlington and the rest of the NASCAR Playoffs. The only good news right now for Wallace is the fact that Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain all went down a lap in Stage 1.

Chastain held up Kyle Larson while being lapped and caused the 5 team to almost lose their minds.

There is still time for Wallace to pick up points and distance on other playoff drivers. However, it has to happen sooner rather than later.

Bubba Wallace makes an early mistake

A couple of early mistakes for Bubba Wallace have him having to fight harder than he needs to be. When you look back on drivers that have won championships, the ones that make the Round of 8, Championship 4 – they are consistent.

Not just the driver. It has to be the entire team. The fastest car can’t have the worst pit crew and expect to win races. Just ask Christopher Bell who had issues today. Ask Wallace who had issues.

Right now, the top-eight drivers or so are all playoff drivers. If Wallace remains mistake-free, he can make his way back toward the top-10. He was running faster than Truex Jr. and others early on in the race.

If you’re a Bubba Wallace fan, you have to like what you’ve seen early in Stage 2. After 20 laps, Wallace has moved back into the top-20 and is trying to move up more as this 500-mile race continues. The work continues.