“Sometimes karma is glorious.” Chipper Jones, an MLB legend and NASCAR fan, jeeringly remarked after the end of the Jack Link’s 500 race. Talladega Superspeedway is usually known for its on-track rampage. However, the drama on Sunday began in the waning laps and into the post-race activities, and it is still ongoing. Joey Logano’s lofty aspirations came crashing down, and people are taking turns jabbing him. Bubba Wallace was next.
The 23XI Racing driver had a good day overall at the 2.66-mile Alabama track. This is hardly surprising, as Bubba Wallace clinched his first Cup Series race win at Talladega. But what stood out on Sunday was Wallace’s ameliorated position that Joey Logano’s misery caused. And Wallace relishes it.
Bubba Wallace delivers a harsh jab
Well, it is nothing out of place as Joey Logano probably had it coming. The No. 22 Team Penske driver is a three-time winner at the Alabama oval and was inducted into the Talladega Hall of Fame on Saturday. So the 2024 Cup Series champion grew a little desperate in vying for some glory. A pack of Fords was leading him into a possible win in Stage 2 when Logano’s teammate, Austin Cindric, broke the line. That allowed Bubba Wallace to slip through and seize the stage 2 honors. This instance prompted Logano to hurl unhealthy expletives at Cindric. His rage was short-lived, though. Cindric went on to win the race with a narrow margin against Ryan Preece. What is more, Logano lost his 5th-place finish as NASCAR found a rear spoiler problem in the post-race inspection and disqualified him.
Credited with a 36th-place finish and watching his teammate bask in glory must be already quite painful for Joey Logano. Yet Bubba Wallace joined the bandwagon of people who disapproved of Logano’s radio tirade. Wallace congratulated Austin Cindric on clinching his third career victory in Talladega. Cindric became the first Ford driver in 2025 to clinch a victory, just like in 2024 when he won in Gateway. What is more, Wallace also mentioned the fateful stage 2 where Cindric’s actions lent the Toyota driver a win. Wallace rubbed salt on Logano’s wound after fans and Chipper Jones did the same. He wrote on X, “Big AC fan in stage 2… don’t listen to the naysayers, you were perfect!”
Big AC fan in stage 2… don’t listen to the naysayers, you were perfect! https://t.co/5AEMWTgQ8m
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) April 28, 2025
Besides benefiting from Team Penske’s divided actions, Bubba Wallace himself had a solid day. He drove his No. 23 Toyota from 20th to 10th, which turned into 8th after Joey Logano and Ryan Preece’s DQs. What is more, he finished 5th in stage 1 and 1st in stage 2. So Wallace was thankful that none of the usual crashes that pepper Talladega happened: “I think we were all waiting for a big wreck to happen there at the end, and it never happened. We ended up 10th, so that’s a good day for us. We didn’t need a new winner, but congrats to Austin. All in all, our Leidos Toyota Camry was pretty solid today. Was nice not having to ride around, running half-throttle and save fuel…Clean race.”
Marking his fourth top-ten finish of the season, Bubba Wallace is riding high in 2025. Yet as he scrutinizes Joey Logano’s fate, the latter also criticized Wallace in the not-too-distant past.
When Wallace’s actions raised eyebrows
Well, Bubba Wallace’s season is going well so far. Besides his superb finishes, he is successfully steering clear of controversy in 2025. That was not the case just a short while ago. Wallace had a penchant for clashing with his rivals, and the latest was in 2024 when he rammed into Alex Bowman in Chicago. However, back in 2022, Wallace’s actions could have led to serious repercussions. During the playoff race in Las Vegas, Wallace intentionally retaliated against Kyle Larson. He hit him from behind and caused a wreck at over 150 MPH that took them both out of contention. According to experts, Larson got lucky to hit Christopher Bell’s car as he slid up the track, keeping Larson from hitting the wall.
Joey Logano voiced his concerns after the race, observing how Bubba Wallace could have risked Larson’s life. He said, “The retaliation is not okay in the way it happened. If he spun him to the infield, maybe it’s a little better, maybe. But right-rear hooking somebody in the dogleg is not okay. I don’t know if everybody realizes how bad that could have been. That could’ve been the end of Kyle Larson’s career. That, to me, was what was on the line — or his life. That is the worst place to get right-rear hooked, into a corner.” He added, “If you’re that mad, just get out and fight him, that’s fine … But do I think straight-up blasting them into the wall is okay? No, because the consequences are way bigger than just a race.”
Well, the tables have turned now, as Bubba Wallace defended Austin Cindric against Joey Logano’s harsh rant. With the Talladega drama extending beyond the track, let us see how far it goes.
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