Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. was furious after his early exit from the NASCAR All-Star Race Open, the qualifier for the main event, on Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Trying to race his way into the exhibition event with a $1 million purse, Wallace slammed into the wall during the Open after Michael McDowell in the No. 34 Ford made contact with the right rear of Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet. And the 26-year-old Richard Petty Motorsports driver’s day was done.
Aside from racing in, Wallace could have also qualified for the All-Star Race via the fan vote, and he was in the lead to win that lone spot when NASCAR released the standings while the voting was still open.
But after his wreck with McDowell, even if he won the fan vote, he didn’t have a car to drive.
Bubba Wallace gets turned by Michael McDowell in the All-Star Open. pic.twitter.com/1IUn7nUwV1
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 16, 2020
Afterward, Wallace called McDowell “a joke” while being interviewed by FOX Sports, and he dropped his destroyed bumper off at the No. 34 team’s hauler.
And now that bumper is up for auction.
When life gives you lemons, auction them off and raise money for @FollowMRO. May not agree to what happened on track, but we can agree on a positive outcome from the situation. https://t.co/F8cyXdjEmv
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 17, 2020
Front Row Motorsports, McDowell’s team, and The NASCAR Foundation are auctioning the bumper off on eBay. All proceeds will benefit Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), which the foundation described as “providing spiritual support to drivers and their families” and “the center for children who travel with their racing families, providing a safe place to play and learn at the track.”
At the time of this story, the highest bid for the bumper on eBay was $15,300, and the bidding will end July 27.
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