Bubba Wallace Neatly Uses Kyle Larson’s Frustrations as NASCAR Backs Down from Sarcastic Dig.
What is the point of having wet-weather tires if NASCAR does not use them? That’s exactly what many fans were thinking when a red flag stopped the action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway due to inclement weather. However, Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, stated that wet racing at NHMS was “very successful.”
NASCAR sat for a nearly two-hour, 15-minute rain delay in the final stage Sunday, requiring teams to complete the final 77 competitive laps on wet weather tires. Under caution, NASCAR authorized teams to put on new sets of wets with non-competitive pit stops twice, but the track was never dry enough for teams to return to slick tires.
According to Elton Sawyer, “We came up with this and started working on it with our teams and the folks at the R&D Center to do exactly what we did yesterday and today with the Cup race…””So, yes, very successful.” He said, “Kudos to Goodyear. Jim France, (NASCAR Chairman), envisioned what rainy weather tires could do. We completed more than 301 laps today. So, with the overtime, our fans received the entire ticket and were able to witness some fantastic and exciting racing.”
As Christopher Bell outlasted the rain, darkness, repeated cautions, and the rest of the field to win, the drivers were forced onto wet tires for the last 80 or so laps that saw several spin-outs and wrecks due to tricky conditions. Despite Sawyer’s claims, tempers flared, especially between Kyle Larson and his spotter, Tyler Monn, and fans were itching for the race to resume, even with the tricky conditions at the 1.058-mile oval.
Before the red flag, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson made contact during the final stage of USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The incident prompted Larson to take a shot at his team spotter, Tyler Monn, of all people. Speaking on the radio, when Tyler Monn said, “He (Denny Hamlin) runs you like that every time, you know why because you let it happen.” Larson got furious and asked his spotter to “Shut the f*** up”, following an uncomfortable silence on the team radio.
Bubba Wallace used Kyle Larson’s reaction to his team spotter to have some lighthearted banter with NASCAR fans, who were insisting on wet weather tires being used at NHMS. He took to X to have some fun with fans who were criticizing NASCAR for not using wet weather tires. He wrote, “Everyone complaining about rain tires” followed by “NASCAR”, with a video of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The tweet implies that NASCAR’s reaction would be the same as what Kyle Larson told his team spotter, especially after finally agreeing to use wet weather tires and resuming the race.
At the NHMS, it took a while for NASCAR to finally agree to resume the race by letting drivers use wet-weather tires. Racing typically doesn’t happen on oval tracks if there’s rain and spray, as cars don’t have wipers or flaps. Moreover, visibility issues can cause some serious safety issues, with New Hampshire Motor Speedway having no lights to race under. This didn’t stop fans from enjoying Bubba Wallace’s tweet, despite yet another race being delayed due to bad weather this season.
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