“He started mouthing off and cussing at me”: Aric Almirola and Bubba Wallace react after their pit road shove in Charlotte

After an eventful week at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was once again in the news at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Wallace and Aric Almirola were involved in a heated argument during the Coca-Cola 600 race.

Rain caused a delay at Charlotte, and the race was red-flagged in the second stage. Almirola and Wallace confronted each other during a stoppage after a hard battle on the track.

The two were involved in a passionate argument about the Turn 3 incident where the #10 Ford driver cut high and made contact with Wallace's car. Almirola was left frustrated as Wallace had flipped the bird earlier and retaliated by shoving him on the pit lane.

The veteran Stewart-Haas Racing driver revealed the details of the interaction in a post-race interview, where he said:

"Really in the race, I felt like I was giving Bubba a lot of room when we were racing each other. And when he got by me, he shot me the bird. So I just went to go ask him why you shot me the bird. He started mouthing off and cussing at me... And I just told him I won't gonna have that. Disappointing... that's him I know that."

Wallace explained after the race that it was a passionate argument.

"We're just frustrated with how we raced each other in the second stage of the Coke 600."

The #23 Toyota driver then took a dig at the Almirola, making the following comments:

"Just passionate, we were racing hard for the second stage and we finished fourth so it is a good day...We were trying to finish fourth and we did it, guess he didn't. When you walk around with two faces that's what you get."

While Bubba Wallace is on a streak of flipping the bird on track, he continues to deliver strong results with his fourth consecutive top-five finish. Meanwhile, Almirola managed a 25th-place finish.

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Bubba Wallace reflects on his chances of qualifying in the playoffs

Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Toyota

After a torrid start to the 2023 NASCAR season, Bubba Wallace has regrouped his efforts and rebounded in spectacular fashion. The 23XI Racing driver now finds himself on the edge of the qualifying positions for the playoffs, occupying 15th place in the drivers' standings.

Wallace admits that his team desperately needs to win to lock in his position. He said to Beyond the Flag:

"I think a win is what it’s going to take to get locked in."

He continued:

"It would ease a lot of our minds if we can go ahead and get that win early. We seem to be a win in the playoffs type team – when we’re not even in the playoffs! If we can get there beforehand, I think then we’ll be really strong when the playoffs do come."

Wallace has never qualified for the playoffs. The #23 driver is keen on getting a win in the regular season to enter the championship fight.