Bubba Wallace’s finish in the Quaker State 400 at the EchoPark Speedway could go from bad to worse. What could have been a podium finish for the driver might now affect his spot in the chase.

Discussing the same on The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi noted that the penalty cost Wallace approximately 26 to 27 points, which has significantly impacted his standing in the playoff hunt. 

“If it’s a true out-of-bounds line, he overstepped essentially while trying to go three-wide. So I could see where they would say, you know, it’s unfortunate, but either way, it’s a ton of points,” Gluck explained.

July 27, 2025, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: BUBBA WALLACE 23 Ãâ 23XI RACING – TOYOTA walks the yard of bricks prior to the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Brickyard 400 race on Sunday July 27th at the at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis USA – ZUMAs355 20250727_zsp_s355_032 Copyright: xJustinxSickingx

The two were recalling the moment when Wallace was deemed to be advancing his position below the yellow line on the final lap while trying to go three-wide against eventual race winner Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar.

Bianchi replied, “I mean, he lost a lot of points, 26 points, 27 points. Like, he’s at 55 plus right now.”

As a result, he dropped to 29th place as the race ended, losing 27 points. Moreover, after losing points following contact with Ty Gibbs and spinning out at the end of stage 2, it was a miserable night for Wallace.

Further highlighting specific examples of lost opportunities throughout the year, the hosts also conceded that while some of these setbacks were due to bad luck, others were mistakes by Wallace or his team, such as the pit issues in Darlington and the crash with Hocevar at Martinsville.

“It’s at Darlington when you’ve got a fast race car, they have an issue on pit road, you get thrown in the back, and then you get swept into a wreck. It’s Martinsville when you, you know, you don’t handle the situation well, and you make a mistake there. 

Wallace currently occupies the 13th spot in the driver rankings. Had he received the 27 points entirely, he would be sitting level with William Byron, who is at 520 points.

Bubba Wallace feels his penalty was unjustified

According to the race officials, Wallace went below the yellow line on the final lap to gain position over the frontrunners. This resulted in him getting penalized immediately after the race, dropping him down to P29. 

“[The rule] says advancing your position, which I did not do. I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I am going to wreck.’ I got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side,” Wallace told media after the race.

As a result, Wallace, along with No. 23 crew chief Charles Denike and Dave Rogers, director of competition for 23XI Racing, went to a 30 minute meeting with NASCAR officials with his penalty not being removed.

Do you feel Wallace should not have been penalized? 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!