Bubba Wallace denied retaliating against Kyle Larson on Sunday and got testy when pressed about the matter.
Wallace got bumped into the wall by Larson on lap 95 of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. He responded by going across the track and bumping into the rear of Larson’s car, wrecking both of them. Christopher Bell, one of Wallace’s Toyota teammates, was also taken out in the wreck.
After being eliminated from the race, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota was asked whether he was retaliating against Larson. Wallace denied the accusation.
"I don't lift."
Hear from @BubbaWallace after his incident with Kyle Larson. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/XUMPs2sRsf
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 16, 2022
“When you get shoved into the fence deliberately like he did, trying to force me to lift, the steering was gone. Hate it. Hate it for our team,” Wallace told NBC.
When asked directly whether retaliation was acceptable, Wallace took aim at NBC interviewer Marty Snider and got testy.
“Stop fishing, stop fishing,” Wallace said.
Not only did Wallace suggest the interviewer was out of line for asking him about retaliation, but Wallace also did not seem to feel remorseful about his actions costing Toyota teammate Christopher Bell the race. When asked about Bell also being knocked out, Wallace chalked things up to “sports.”
NASCAR will be looking into the matter. The way Wallace attacked Larson after their wreck doesn’t seem to help the Toyota driver’s case.
