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Bubba Wallace is getting back at NASCAR the only way that he knows how after losing a podium last week in Atlanta to a forbidden line that he still crossed.
After North Wilkesboro Speedway gave Wallace a clean sixth-place finish with no painted trap waiting at the bottom of the track, the 23XI Racing star was preloaded with sarcasm just waiting to come out on pit road.
Wallace didn't win the Window World 450, but the NASCAR star still performed well and found a way to leave with a memorable quote and a smile on his face.
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The No. 23 driver spoke to TNT Sports after Joey Logano dominated and won by 0.859 seconds over Denny Hamlin. Wallace started 26th and climbed through the field, even running third by lap 285 after gaining 23 positions and even taking the lead.
Wallace led eight laps, completed all 450, earned 38 points and made sure everyone knew that the situation at Atlanta one week earlier was still fresh in his head.
"No yellow line and fractions," Wallace said with a grin. "I get to keep my finishing position." The line landed because everyone knew exactly where he was aiming.
The playful jab was after Atlanta's Quaker State 400 when Wallace crossed the finish line second before NASCAR penalized him for going below the double-yellow out-of-bounds line on the final lap to advance his position.
The ruling stripped Wallace of a podium finish and dropped him all the way to 29th place. It also cost the Jordan Brand star 27 vital championship points for his NBA Champion owner, as teammate Tyler Reddick sits 68 points behind team co-owner Denny Hamlin in the chase.
Wallace also disputed NASCAR's decision and said that his incident didn't align with NASCAR's definition of the penalty. He explained remaining in third place throughout the mistake while NASCAR's Section 8.7.2. A of its rule book says that the violation occurs when advancing position.
It says advancing your position, which I did not do," Wallace said. "I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance." Wallace spent most of his North Wilkesboro race fighting inside the top group after fighting from behind.
The 23XI Racing star had enough pace to contend on the historic short track until the pit decision cost him any chance at a win. He moved up to fourth by the end of Stage 2 behind Logano, Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, then briefly cycled to the lead before pitting on lap 373.
