Bubba Wallace returned to the racetrack at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday after he was suspended for one event for purposely wrecking Kyle Larson at Las Vegas two weeks ago.
But Wallace didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome. During the racer introductions, Wallace received a massive amount of boos from the crowd at the track. According to The Athletic, it was a bit more than what Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs received when they were announced.
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He would end up finishing in eighth place at the Xfinity 500. Christopher Bell took the checkered flag and secured a spot in the Championship Four, and Ross Chastain used a video-game move to propel himself into the race for the NASCAR Cup Series title.
In the days leading up to the race, Wallace explained the situation with Larson in Las Vegas was a learning experience.
BUBBA WALLACE SUSPENDED AFTER ALTERCATION AT VEGAS RACE
"There’s a lot of good things going into this weekend. I’m not coming back with a vengeance or anything like that," he told reporters Saturday, via NASCAR.com. "I’m just going to continue to do what we’ve been doing. And for the record, I have talked to Larson, and we had a great conversation this week. I think the best thing for us is we both understood where our frustrations were and moving forward and how we both can handle those situations better."
Wallace said he also spoke to the 23XI racing team, owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin, and was told to avoid situations that placed the organization and sponsors "in a bad light."
"They were understanding of the heat-of-the-moment type things, but they were very adamant about how we need to handle those five seconds later," the No. 45 driver added. "You need to think, like I said earlier, you need to think before you do. That was the biggest thing. They still support me, and we’re here. Just have to go out and continue to build this team up."
