When 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace crossed the finish line to finish Monday morning's Quaker State 400 NASCAR Cup Series race in second place behind Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, there was almost a sense of relief that he didn't win because of the inevitable penalty that was coming his way.
That penalty was indeed handed down by NASCAR in the minutes that followed the 263-lap overtime-extended race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval, a race that did not end until just before 2:00 a.m. ET due to a rain delay of nearly three and a half hours in the second stage.
Wallace was deemed to have gone below the double yellow line on the back straightaway on the race's final lap, and he was deemed to have gained an advantage because of it.
As a result, he was dropped to 29th place, making him the final driver on the lead lap. Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell was fittingly the first driver promoted from third to second due to Wallace's penalty, giving him four runner-up finishes in the six most recent oval races and five overall this season without a victory.
Wallace was adamant that he lifted after going below the line in order to nullify whatever advantage he might have gained, since NASCAR deemed him to have advanced from third to second place. However, Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs then gave Wallace a push, so Wallace's attempt to give up that perceived advantage was ineffective.
On one hand, NASCAR deserves credit for sticking to the rule as it's written. On another, it's not Wallace's fault that another driver gave him the very same push he still would have gotten had he not gone below the line to begin with. Yet at the same time, it's also not Gibbs' job to intentionally lift and compromise his own race, just to ensure Wallace can intentionally give up a spot.
Wallace and the No. 23 23XI Racing do have the right to appeal the penalty, but instead of being scored second, they were officially scored 27 positions below where they finished the race.
Here are the full race results from Atlanta.
Updated NASCAR Cup Series results from Atlanta
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
2 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
3 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
4 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
5 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
6 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
7 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
8 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
9 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
10 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
11 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
12 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
13 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
14 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
15 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
16 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
17 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
18 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
19 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
20 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
21 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
22 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
24 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
25 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
26 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
27 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
28 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
29 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
30 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
31 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
32 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
33 | Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford |
34 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
35 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
36 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
37 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
38 | B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet |
The next race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Window World 450, which is set to be the first points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996. Live coverage is set to be provided by TNT beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19.
