Bubba Wallace was close to winning the Geico 500 at Talladega Speedway on Sunday until crashing out at the very end while trying to block an opposing driver. Surprisingly, Wallace didn’t have hard feelings over what happened.
Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota was leading during the second overtime attempt and trying to block a pass attempt by Ryan Blaney. Wallace successfully blocked Blaney’s pass attempt on the inside, but when Blaney moved up the track to try for a pass on the outside, Wallace’s No. 23 got turned.
Can't hold back on the last lap. Here's a replay of the last-lap crash Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. pic.twitter.com/IoxjJwtaUp
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 23, 2023
While Wallace had to settle for a 28th-place finish, Blaney’s No. 12 Ford finished second behind Kyle Busch.
After the race, Wallace surprisingly said the wreck was due to his inability to successfully block Blaney.
"I caused that one … Not the 12's fault at all."- Bubba Wallace talks about the incident with Ryan Blaney coming to the finish at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/2TJzyJidsb
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 23, 2023
“Close. Close, close block. Not the 12’s fault. I honestly thought that he would leave me high-and-dry coming back around. … That’s how it goes. … I caused that one. I thought it’d play out a little different,” Wallace said after the race.
Wallace also said that he and Blaney typically work together well, so that was not the outcome he expected.
Wallace was looking for his first win of the Cup Series season for 23XI Racing but ended up with his third-worst finish of the season.
