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NASCAR Facing Backlash for Their Failure to Penalize Bubba Wallace in Indianapolis Just Like Chase Briscoe Last Year

Published 08/02/2022, 11:35 AM EDT

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The final lap restart was nothing but pure chaos for everyone on track, with multiple drivers spinning out. As there was no space left on the track in turn one, Bubba Wallace cut across the grass and gained a few positions

As soon as the first turn arrived, Chase Elliott spun around. Behind him, several other cars made contact and went off track. Bubba Wallace was seen avoiding the spun-out cars, cutting across the grass, and rejoining the track ahead of half of the field. According to the rules, he should have taken the escape road and rejoined the field just like Austin Dillon.

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The main reason why people are upset is that last year Chase Briscoe was forced off the track before he rejoined the same way as Bubba. However, Briscoe was later on penalized for the move, unlike the #23 driver.

While Bubba outsmarted everyone by avoiding the escape road, he actually gained an unfair advantage over other drivers who were not involved in the chaos that ensued a corner prior.

There would not have been a problem if Bubba had relinquished his position advantage and dropped back by a few cars. But Bubba used that added unfair advantage to claim a 5th place finish after Ross Chastain was handed a penalty for cutting corners.

Fans over social media have been agitated over Bubba Wallace not being penalized

Fans on Twitter have been questioning if it was fair not to penalize him since Chase Briscoe was penalized for a similar incident last year.

USA Today via Reuters

Although not everyone was pointing fingers at NASCAR, some were even defensive of Bubba Wallace, stating that he had nowhere else to go following the carnage that took place in turn one.

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All in all, NASCAR fans find it to be unfair that Chase Briscoe was awarded a penalty last year for similar circumstances, but Bubba Wallace did not.

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What do you think was it unfair to not penalize Bubba? Should we draw comparisons to the Chase Briscoe incident last year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal

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Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog, 'Noobs Onboard', for a while now, covering NASCAR, F1, W Series, MotoGP, WRC and the WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade now, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh