Bubba Wallace wasn’t surprised at the push he received from Aric Almirola on Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A fan recorded video of an incident between the two drivers when they got out of their car during a rain delay at the Coca-Cola 600.
The video, which was posted on social media and broadcast by FOX Sports, showed the two drivers facing each other before Almirola pushed Wallace. The incident was quickly interrupted by a NASCAR official on pit road.
“When you walk around with two faces, that’s what you get,” Wallace said when he met reporters after his fourth-place finish in the race.
Wallace went on to say that both drivers were fighting hard for position.
“Just passionate, racing hard in stage two and we finished fourth, so it was a good day,” Wallace said.
Replays at the start of the 600-mile race showed the two riders in contact a few times. Almriola said Wallace gave him the middle finger during the race, which contributed to the confrontation between the two divers.
“At the start of the race, I felt like I gave Bubba a lot of room when we were running around each other. And when he caught up to me, he shot me,” said Almirola said during an interview on FOX Sports. “So I went to ask him why he shot the bird for me. He started calling me names and insulting me. I told him I wasn’t going to have this.
“A little disappointed and that’s him. I know that.”
Wallace finished second last week in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. After that race, he was spotted raising his middle finger during a post-race interview with FOX Sports’ Jamie Little.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reported that Wallace was not penalized for signaling a friend and the signal was not made with malicious intent.
Incidents aside, Wallace and his No. 23 squad appear to have gone from strength to strength over the past few weeks. He also finished fourth at Kansas and fifth at Darlington earlier this month.
“I have all the faith in the world in this team and what they can do,” Wallace said.
