Rick Mast backs Bubba Wallace in dust-up with Alex Bowman, extends invitation

After Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 this week for his post-race contact with Alex Bowman, former NASCAR driver Rick Mast is taking his side. Mast, who was a formidable Busch Series driver in his day, didn’t see too much wrong with the contact.

Post-race bumps have been in NASCAR since the start. Letting a driver know you didn’t like how they raced you or what they did on the track. Under slow speed, just enough to get their attention. No harm, no foul.

NASCAR felt differently about what Bubba Wallace did on Sunday at Chicago. Bowman spun him earlier in the race and then the 48 car went on to win the race. Wallace was not happy.

Rick Mast talked about the incident on his podcast this week, hosted on the Kenny Wallace YouTube channel.

“I honestly, honestly Charlie I didn’t think it was that big a deal,” Mast said to his co-host. “A little bit surprised about the amount of the fine. I guess, I guess, I haven’t heard, and they’ll put the statement out, I haven’t heard the reasoning but I guess it was the severity of the hit, right? Because, hell I’ve had it done to me, and I’ve done it to other guys. The race is over and I’ll go up to them and I’ll rub them, run into them a little bit, body slam them a little bit. Just to let them know that I wasn’t appreciative of what they did to me and I’ve done it to other guys to some degree. But the severity of Bubba’s hit, right? How hard he turned into the car. I’m assuming that’s the reason they did that, right?”

NASCAR would probably chalk it up to the severity of the hit. It moved Bowman’s car into the outside wall. It might have more to do with Bubba Wallace and his history, too.

NASCAR making a statement

When it comes down to why NASCAR threw a penalty at Bubba Wallace, it probably comes down to a few things. Rick Mast isn’t entirely wrong. Severity probably played a role. There is likely another reason, too.

Bubba has had moments in the past.

“Probably trying to make a statement don’t be doing this. It may be, in racing we have what we call the goodwill bank. You have this bank and in your mind each driver has a bank in your mind and you have a goodwill part of that. So, this driver out here he’s got a lot in the goodwill bank with me, if he hits me, okay no big deal.

“Or that guy there has got nothing left in my bank and he touches me, he’s going to get his ass ripped back. Well, I think NASCAR plays that game a little bit too with the goodwill bank. What kind of trouble have you been in, what skirmishes have you caused, what’s your track record, what’s the record with doing things you shouldn’t be doing. That may have come into play a little bit with Bubba with it being more than just one isolated incident. I don’t know that, I don’t know what it is.”

Has Bubba lost his goodwill with NASCAR? Are they trying to make an example out of him?

Rick Mast invites Bubba Wallace to his place

At the end of the segment, Mast extended an invitation to the 23XI Racing driver. He likes Bubba and wants to see him succeed. Why not some time in little old Rockbridge Baths?

“You know, I need to get to Bubba, man. Bubba needs some, you know I was a big Bubba Wallace fan when he first came in and it seems like Bubba gets himself in trouble, man. I don’t know how to say it, it’s like – and I’m sure with that team and their resources and everything that goes on and Bubba’s, you know, he publicly talks about his depression issues he goes through and working with the head shrinks and all that stuff. I’m just not 100% positive Bubba’s got to the right headspace yet, right?

“It’s like, Bubba come to Rockbridge Baths [Virginia], spend five or six days up in the mountains with me like for a week. You know what I mean? And when you leave you might have a little bit different perspective of how you view the sport and how you view the world around the sport and how people view you and what’s really important and not important, you know? I don’t think mentally he’s there yet, and he’s short-fused, and that causes the immediate things you see is a short-fused and the temper. And hey, that’s fine, everybody has those deals but it keeps on getting Bubba in trouble, you know?”

So, how do we get Bubba Wallace to Rockbridge Baths? Rick Mast has some wisdom to share. And it would probably make for good content for fans.

While Bubba has had moments, I like his fiery passion. Fans like drivers who show their emotions and Wallace does a great job of that. He’s a professional athlete, I want him to be intense and caring. However, it can’t get in the way of his performance.