Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs Bubba Wallace in Alex Bowman incident: 'This sh*t is what racing's about'

All eyes in the NASCAR world are on possible punishment for Bubba Wallace for venting his frustration after the Grant Park 165 in Chicago on Sunday and slamming into winner Alex Bowman’s car on a cool-down lap.

Wallace doored Bowman hard just after Bowman had released his window netting and lifted his visor, driving the 48 car briefly into the wall.

Will NASCAR hand down a punishment for Wallace, like it did when Carson Hocevar intentionally bumped Harrison Burton while under caution a week prior? Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t sure if a punishment is merited, but he was clear on one thing.

Drivers need the freedom to respond like Bubba Wallace did.

“After the race, I’m OK if Bubba goes up there and hits the 48,” Earnhardt Jr. said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. “And I’m OK if somebody goes after Chase (Elliott) or Chase goes after somebody. And if they want to fine them, that’s fine. I don’t care. I don’t think the drivers mind too much. Five, $10, $15 grand.

“Don’t take points away. Don’t truly deter this, because this s*** is what racing’s about.”

Bubba Wallace was upset because earlier in the race Bowman had made a mistake that led to him spinning out Wallace. Wallace’s car took hard contact, costing him a ton of track positioning and essentially ruining his day.

Bowman would later apologize and has even advocated that NASCAR not penalize Bubba Wallace for the post-race bump.

Count Earnhardt Jr. as another who thinks a little tap here and there can be warranted and shouldn’t be dealt with overly harshly.

“Now there is a line. There is a line where it’s too egregious, too aggressive, too dangerous, and you’ve got to know as a driver where that’s at and not to cross it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But these type of things for me is kind of in our DNA. It’s like the gloves coming off at the hockey match and a couple of guys getting an opportunity to throw a few punches before the refs finally come in and go, ‘All right, enough. The fans have seen enough.’

“I draw the line if the guy ends up backwards. That’s over the line.”

Bowman was no worse for the wear on Sunday after being bumped into the wall, other than perhaps being startled a bit. Even Bowman said the contact was well warranted after the earlier events in race.

Earnhardt Jr. thinks there’s a healthy element to the sport when a little contact is involved, and that’s where the Bubba Wallace contact fell. Nonetheless, NASCAR did plan to review the contact for a possible penalty.

“That needs to be able to happen,” he said. “Those things like that, drivers need to be able to do those things, right or wrong. I’m not saying they’re right choices. I’m not saying it’s what the driver should do. But the drivers need to be able to have a little bit of a jab or two, some flexibility.”