Last Lap Blocks Costs the 12 & 23 Victory

"If you're the 23 car in Bubba, you've got to make those moves. You don't have a choice, you're trying to win that race"- Tony Stewart

The dynamic best friend duo of Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney led a combined 82 of 196 laps at Talladega this past weekend with 2 of the strongest cars all race long. 

Pack racing at Talladega. Image: Twitter, original unknown

Bubba Wallace and the 23XI team brought a lead car, the 23 was the only car that could pull the 3rd lane up top and to the lead. The big problem with the 23 all afternoon was that the car got too light when being pushed. The 12 of Blaney on the other had got to the lead 9 different times for a race high 47 laps led. 

So it was only fitting that two of the best superspeedway racers in the field got together to push each other to a potential win at the very end. But when Wallace took the the white flag with his best friend behind him, one of them was going to win that race. Going through 1 & 2, Blaney went low to pass Wallace and was blocked. Wallace's car got into the apron and lose, Blaney came up, blocked again but it made the 23 too light and Wallace went around and it was all over.

Lots of fans all over social media have criticized Bubba for making the moves that he made and many to Blaney as well, but guest broadcaster 3x Champion Tony Stewart called the incident on a replay. "If you're the 23 car in Bubba, you've got to make those moves. You don't have a choice, you're trying to win that race." "This is just of those no fault scenarios where everybody did exactly what they had to to give themselves the best opportunity to win this race."0

Clint Bowyer in the booth backed him up agreeing also adding on behalf of Blaney, "Absolutely, and in the flip side of that if you're Blaney, you have to make that. It's the last lap, you have to go."

Post race, Wallace received more criticism while showing understandable visual frustration after throwing his Hans device to the ground.  Blaney showed his displeasure in post race interviews "In my mind... You can't block three times... I'm not blaming anybody." 

Blaney was credited with 2nd and Wallace with 28th.

By: Tom Luttermoser