Fans Divided as Bubba Wallace and HMS Star Reignite Their Rivalry in Chicago

The 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street race transformed into a high-octane battleground as drivers tore through the city’s 2.2-mile temporary street course. Running under sweltering conditions, Shane van Gisbergen defended his pole positions with surgical precision, leading 27 of 50 laps in the Xfinity race and 26 of 75 in the Cup Series en route to a historical weekend sweep. Yet amidst the celebration, early chaos unfolded, with an eight-car wreck on Lap 3 halting the race, and later, Austin Cindric’s stalled ride brought another caution. The final tense moment arrived when Cody Ware slammed into a Turn 6 tire wall just as SVG claimed the checkered flag, only after NASCAR wisely held off the yellow until he completed the final.

Throughout the weekend, street racing’s unforgiving nature became glaringly evident. Tight circuit walls forced wheel-to-wheel confrontations, with drivers squeezing every inch. Contact was constant, from hard-charging passes in The Loop 110 to the physical jostling in the Cup Series. By Sunday, tension boiled over, not just as the front but deep in the pack, laying groundwork for a dramatic showdown between Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman. Late in the race, the 23XI Racing and Hendrick Motorsports’ stars engaged in a fierce duel inside the Top 10 that ended in costly contact.

Bowman accused Wallace of relentless aggression, saying, “I followed the 45 past him, ran me into the side wall at 8, still felt like I passed him clean, and he absolutely just demolished me into 12,” said Bowman in a post-race interview video posted by The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck. “I gave it back a little bit into 1, and then he demolished me again into 2, ran me into the outside wall, and I’m just a pinball between him and the outside wall at that point. So I’m certainly not trying to crash anybody, but, I mean, I’d have to watch it back to, like, be certain, but I felt like he kind of did it to himself, just with getting pinballed between him and the outside wall. So, yeah, wasn’t the intention.”

Amid stop-start drama, strategic gambits, and intense rivalries, this race became more than a victory lap; it evolved into a crossover event that had fans on both sides of the divide glued to the screens. This isn’t the first time the two drivers have collided. Last year, after Bowman won the race, Wallace was furious and rammed his #23 Camry into the #48 Chevy on the cool-down lap. This resulted in a $50,000 penalty, and it was clear from Sunday’s antics that this rivalry was far from being settled.

Fans witnessed gritty street racing drama, elite performance, and emotional confrontations, as they now sound divided all over social media on how Bowman handled the whole situation.

Tensions spill over as fans pick sides in Bubba-Bowman drama

“The part where he said “maybe we both just looked like idiots” Lmfao. yes that’s exactly what happened,” wrote one fan sarcastically. This comment made by Bowman in the video described how neither driver wanted to give the other an inch on the corners. Just when it looked like Wallace was clear, Bowman punted his car out of the way and left him spinning on the track. Well, desperation was at peak given that both of them are trying to qualify for the playoffs.

Another fan weighed in on the situation, taking Wallace’s side, saying, “I mean Bowman trying to get revenge on Bubba almost took out Larson so it’s kinda hard for me to take Bowmans side here. Plus Bubba was much more mature about the whole thing.” This rivalry between Wallace and Bowman isn’t new. It dates back to the 2019 Charlotte Roval, when Bowman spun Wallace on Lap 42 after Wallace flipped him off, and the latter responded by splashing water on Bowman post-race. Last year, he also made his feelings clear with the door slam, but this time around, he dealt with the situation calmly. If anything, NASCAR will have to make a call if Bowman’s action were egregious, leading to a points penalty or even suspension.

The radio message and post-race footage cast doubts over Bowman’s saint-like narrative as well, as one fan noted, “Bowman try’s to play the saint card. But he absolutely is not. He lets himself get pushed arnd by everyone other then bubba. When they say on the radio don’t let that motherf—- go easy. I mean it’s pretty blatant.” This was the directive, Bowman received on his team radio, and after this call out, the HMS driver took his gloves off and settled the score.

But some fans decided to stay neutral, analyzing the entire situation. One fan said, “Between Bowman and Wallace I prefer Bubba, but I saw nothing wrong from either driver in that situation. I’m an old school fan, been watching since I was old enough to understand cars going in circles is fun to watch. Raise Hell Praise Dale kinda guy. That’s the type of NASCAR I miss, that fight between Bubba and Bowman today near the end. Give me back more of that NASCAR, let rubbing = racing. Let drivers run out of talent during one of these fights and hit the wall. Bubba did it today, and even as a fan of his I still cheered for that fight and result.”

Whether you lean toward Bubba or Bowman, it is hard to argue with the pure intensity of their showdown. Wallace, especially, embodied the spirit of not being afraid to push back even when handling older tires and navigating a tight street circuit. The ‘Raise Hell Praise Dale’ mentality that fans treasure is what Wallace showcased, where grit and tenacity mattered more than polished finishes. While opinions will always be split, it is the passion beneath the paint-swapping that makes races like Chicago unforgettable, especially as it nears the end of its racing journey with NASCAR.