“He feels like all eyes are on him”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. reads into Bubba Wallace’s reaction at Pocono after ‘excessive’ $50,000 fine

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently weighed in on Bubba Wallace's reaction to a recent penalty stemming from an incident at the Chicago Street race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that Wallace might feel the weight of public scrutiny after his confrontation with Alex Bowman during the cool-down lap which led to a hefty $50,000 fine.

The incident unfolded during the Grant Park 165 in Chicago where Bowman tried to clear his windshield on lap 25 of Stage 1 but ended up driving off the track, causing Wallace to crash into the wall. Despite this setback Wallace managed to fight his way back to a 13th-place finish.

However, Wallace took his chance for a bit of retaliation as the race wound down. On the cool-down lap, just as the cars approached Turn 12 and were heading onto Columbus Drive, Wallace maneuvered his car next to Bowman's and intentionally hit Bowman’s car door with his front left tire.

Consequently, he was hit with a hefty $50k fine. Following that, Wallace secured a 10th-place finish at Pocono after starting 29th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. analyzed Wallace's demeanor in post-race discussions and his approach to racing, noting on his podcast "Dale Jr. Download":

"He feels like all eyes are on him, for better or worse. When he succeeds or fails, he feels like he's under a microscope. And then when he gets this fine in the end, as everybody's going to do, they're going to cover it, the media is going to cover it, he feels the way to that... I might say to Bubba, 'Man, it wasn't that, it wasn't that big of a deal.'" [at 30:15]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. empathized with Wallace, suggesting that the incident with Bowman was blown out of proportion. He expressed disagreement with the penalty, calling it "excessive," and advised Wallace to shrug it off, saying:

"I might tell Bubba, '...Hey put it in the rearview mirror, don't think of it.'"

Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also expressed a safety concern after reviewing the footage where Bubba Wallace had already unfastened his seatbelts.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. critical of NASCAR drivers for undoing their belts prematurely

Following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001 from a skull fracture, NASCAR introduced several safety improvements to its stock cars. These measures include SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers along the walls of oval tracks to absorb the impact of crashes, fire suits to protect drivers in the event of a fire, the HANS device - a head and neck support system that secures the helmet to the driver’s body instead of the seat - along with reinforced seats, window nets and seat belts.

Back in the 1960s, when shoulder harnesses first hit the scene, many drivers were hesitant to use them because they feared being trapped in their seats during a fire. Now, drivers are equipped with a six-point harness that firmly secures them in place, all converging at a single latch for quick release if they need to make a fast exit.

Therefore, Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed frustration upon learning that many drivers loosen their seatbelts during the cool-down lap. Concerned about the disregard for safety protocols, he emphasized the risks involved, stating:

"I'm going to catch so much s**t for this... He had his window net down and his belt's off, or his belt's loose? [...] Nobody unbuckles before they come to a complete stop in the pits to get the hell out. You're a complete moron if you undo your belts in a moving race car at any point! A complete idiot! That is, you gotta stop it. You gotta fu**- you're a dumba** if you f*****g undo your belts in a moving car."