Bubba Wallace Looks Like An Idiot, NASCAR Should Be Thrilled, Kyle Busch Flips Off Driver, Blaney Vows To Wreck Everyone
Bubba Wallace may have looked - and sounded - like an unruly toddler at Las Vegas, but NASCAR owes him and Kyle Larson BIG TIME for giving them a fighting chance on an NFL Sunday.
Holy cow. Don't know where to begin, but I'll certainly take that problem any day of the week.
Wallace threw an all-time tantrum on Lap 95, wrecking Kyle Larson after he put him in the wall, and then bullying him in the infield for all to see. It was jarring to watch unfold, gave me a little bit of nostalgia, but ultimately just made Bubba look really, really silly.
More on that in a bit.
Elsewhere, Larson is very clearly not a fighter, Joey Logano is going back to the championship race, Chase Elliott was horrible, Kyle Busch gave the bird, and Ryan Blaney wants to 'wreck every motherf***er' he got to.
Four tires and a big 'ol can of Sunoco fuel. Monday Morning Pit-Stop is ready to rumble!
Bubba Wallace picked a fight with Kyle Larson, setting the NASCAR world on fire. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Bubba Wallace picks a fight with Kyle Larson - the smallest driver in NASCAR
OK, that's not fair. I'm sorry, Kyle.
Tyler Reddick, statistically speaking, is probably the smallest driver in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. Didn't mean to short-change you, Kyle!
Anyway, let's talk about it, Bubba ...
What in the world was that? What the hell happened out there?!
Yes, Kyle Larson made a bad decision to dive-bomb both Wallace and Harvick early in the race, and it ultimately put Bubba in the wall. Larson, the defending champion, knows better than that, and he said as much after the race.
But he didn't end Bubba Wallace's day at Las Vegas.
Bubba Wallace ended Bubba Wallace's day at Las Vegas.
Bubba decided to headhunt Larson immediately after he was pinched to the wall, and hooked him into the grass. He ended up totaling his car, Larson's car, AND Christopher Bell's car!
You know, the same Christopher Bell who is a Toyota teammate of Wallace's AND is currently in the playoffs?
As if that wasn't a loud enough message, Bubba then exited his car and went FULL THROTTLE at Larson ... in the infield!
What a damn scene.
Kyle Larson clearly wants no part of Bubba Wallace fight
Have you ever seen someone less interested in a fight than Kyle Larson right there? I mean, he wanted NOTHING to do with Bubba's BS. Nothing.
He said as much a few minutes later.
"I've never been close to a fight in my life. I'm not a fighter," he admitted.
Gee, Kyle ... ya don't say!
For as honest as Larson was right there, Wallace took the opposite approach. And by opposite, I mean he hilariously lied about the entire thing right to our faces.
Bubba telling us that "the steering was gone, and he just so happened to be there" with a straight face is good stuff, so I give him props for that. As Dale Jr. said a few weeks back, ya can't get in trouble if you don't admit it was intentional! Play dumb, baby!
Wallace, by the way, eventually issued an apology late Monday night.
Anyway, it was all wild to watch unfold. You just don't see that stuff in NASCAR anymore, so it certainly brought us all back a ways in the old time machine.
This wasn't Cale and Donnie back in 1979, but it may be the closest we ever get to it again.
As for Bubba ... maybe go after someone your own size next time? Who do we think? Kyle Busch? Michael McDowell? BJ McLeod?
Frankly, anyone not named Larson, because that cat ain't into it.
Joey Logano raced his way into the Championship Four. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Joey Logano wins and tells the NASCAR haters to shove it
Back to the actual race ...
Welcome to the Championship Four, Joey!
Logano punched his ticket by racing from the middle of the pack to the lead on fresher tires late in Sunday's race, ultimately passing Ross Chastain on the final lap to win.
Amazingly, this will be Logano's fifth championship appearance. He won his only NASCAR Cup title back in 2018, but will certainly have as good a chance as anyone to add to his collection in a few weeks.
That may sound silly, but ... I'm not sure there's been a more consistent driver in the field this season than Logano. It probably hasn't been his flashiest season in terms of wins, but it seems like he's in the top-five contending for a win most weeks, and he's got three weeks now to prepare for Phoenix.
You wanna bet against him?
Ryan Blaney vows to wreck everyone, and then promptly wrecks
Logano was excellent Sunday ... but plenty of playoff drivers were not.
Penske teammate Ryan Blaney certainly had himself a DAY.
Blaney, who somehow still hasn't won an official race this year (All-Star race doesn't count), actually entered the penultimate round of the playoffs in decent shape.
Until, of course, all hell broke loose.
Blaney won the second stage - his series-leading eighth stage win of the year - and spent most of the final stage in the top-five. His late battle with William Byron nearly put both of them in the wall, and Blaney was, um, not pleased with the hard racing.
Shortly after, Blaney - who was running SECOND at the time - blew a tire and wrecked. Because of course he did.
The team tried to repair the car, but it was to no avail. Blaney never returned, ultimately finished 28th, and now sits 11 points below the cutline with two races to go.
Chin up, Rhino!
Chase Elliott has worst race of season, still in decent shape
On our way out, we have to talk about Chase Elliott, right?
The regular season champ was literally nowhere to be found Sunday. Seriously, did he ever legitimately crack the top 10?
It was a complete whiff for the No. 9 team, and all of a sudden Chase fans are probably feeling a little queasy today as his 31-point cushion has now shrunk to just 17 with Miami and Martinsville looming.
All right, Chase ... who's to blame?
"I just did a really bad job. I’m obviously missing something at places like this to compete with the gentlemen that know what they’re doing," the always-chipper Elliott said after the race. "I need to re-evaluate myself, in general, to have a shot next week."
Seems a tad dramatic, but I like it. Someone get Chase a mirror STAT so he can take a good hard look at himself!
Could Bubba Wallace take Chase Elliott in a fight? (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Kyle Busch flips off Ryan Blaney
On our way out, Part 2!
It's been a few weeks since we had a good middle finger in NASCAR, so our guy Kyle Busch decided to take matters into his own hands.
Busch, who finished third at Vegas, is so clearly ready for this season to end.
He's had horrible luck, spent all summer answering questions about his future, and already has one foot out the door and into the RCR camp.
But don't you dare tell me Rowdy has checked out yet!
Love it. Don't think you're gonna slide-job Kyle Busch and get away with it, Ryan!
And with that, we're off to Homestead. Ross Chastain (+18), Chase Elliott (+17) and Denny Hamlin (+6) are the three drivers on the right side of the bubble right now.
Buckle up.