NASCAR fans claim Bubba Wallace faked flat tire to help teammate Christopher Bell at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA: Controversy erupted at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 3, centering on Bubba Wallace's apparent role in Christopher Bell's pivotal last-lap point gain.

Many NASCAR fans accused the 31-year-old of race manipulation, claiming he deliberately slowed down in the closing laps of the Xfinity 500 to let his Toyota teammate overtake him, hoping to send him to the Championship 4, as reported by Slicks and Sticks. 

Wallace attributed his slowdown to mechanical issues, saying, "I went loose or something broke…just trying to buy time and not bring out a caution." 

The ramifications of such strategies are significant, impacting not just Bell's position in the NASCAR championship but also calling into question the fairness of competitive racing. 

NASCAR fans question Bubba Wallace's motives 

NASCAR fans weren't buying Bubba Wallace's explanation that mechanical issues caused his slowdown. 

One wrote, "Show me a broken part, or you're a liar. We aren't blind as to what we saw," and another said, "I don't trust that as far as I could throw him lol." 

"Send it to R&D. They can check to see if anything is broken or flat tire. Also SIM data. I’m pretty sure he left bell catch and pass him on purpose. Should be a hefty penalty for that," expressed a person. 

An individual stated, "NASCAR... What a Joke... 24, 20, 1,3, and 23 should be disqualified for manipulating the outcome of the Race and the championship!" "He said tire down on the radio! Lol bad liar my guy," claimed one more. 

Another person said, "Check his car it the tire is flat or something is broken put the 20 in...and I HATE Bell..but fair is fair," while one simply wrote, "Tire going down to something broke to toyota giving corporate orders." 

NASCAR to investigate race manipulation allegations surrounding the Martinsville race

Bubba Wallace's move wasn't the only one that raised eyebrows following the Martinsville race. Race manipulation allegations were also leveled against Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, and William Byron. 

Chastain and Dillon apparently worked together to obstruct other racers, aiding Byron's advancement.

In response, Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's Senior Vice President, announced an investigation, according to Newsweek.

He said, "Yeah, we'll look at everything. As I said earlier, we want to go back, as we would have done anyway. We'll get back, we'll take all the data, video. We'll listen to in-car audio. We'll do all that, as we would any event."

NASCAR also faced criticism for the delay in announcing Bell's disqualification for attempting a wall ride on the final lap. The maneuver was banned by NASCAR for all types of tracks in 2023. 

On Bell's wall ride attempt, Sawyer said to the media, "We want to get it right, first and foremost. This is not something that happens every week. We want to be prepared. I thought our team in the tower did exactly what we needed to do. Let's get this right." 

Meanwhile, Bell remarked, "I understand that the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall. But my move was completely different than what Ross' was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence. I don't know what else to say."

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