Bubba Wallace came into the 2024 NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum after having one the best seasons of his career. He finished the 2023 season in 10th place, the highest rank of his seven-year career.
Wallace came in second place in the NASCAR All-Star Race. After leading for 111 laps in the AutoTrader Echo Park Automotive 400, he came in third place.
Wallace also placed fourth in the Pennzoil 400 and the Coca Cola 600. During the 2023 Daytona 500, he placed 20th after leading for five laps. By the end of the season, Wallace led for 289 laps.
For the second year in a row, Wallace ranked in the top 10 for 10 different races and the top five for five races. His efforts helped him reach the round of 12 in the playoffs.
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“We had a lot of speed and we finished off the year really, really strong, making the playoffs is really good,” Wallace said. “We got to build off that, build off that speed, that momentum, that competence and just really put it all together and have fun with it.”
NASCAR moved up the Clash at the Coliseum to Saturday due to inclement weather.
“It was obviously sped up. I really applaud the Coliseum for even making this possibility to the best of what is a really tough situation for the fans and this racing community,” said NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell. “[We] felt like this was the best option to keep everybody safe.”
Wallace ended the first half in seventh place. Shortly after the start of the second half, Wallace’s teammate Tyler Reddick bumped into him and caused him to spin out, causing the race’s fourth caution. He ultimately ended the Clash in 12th place.
Along with the new season, NASCAR also has a new docu-series on Netflix called “NASCAR: Full Speed.” The series follows the lives of eight drivers, including Clash winner Denny Hamlin and Wallace’s teammate Reddick.
“The Netflix doc was really strong and I think it portrayed us drivers, some of the ones that were in the playoffs, really well and it had a lot of the personalities,” Wallace said. “Hats off to NASCAR and Netflix for being able to capture a lot of the candid moments and that’s what latches onto people.”
