Bubba Wallace Loses Left Front Tire, Hit with Penalty After Chaotic Pit Stop
Sunday’s race took a dramatic turn for Bubba Wallace when the No. 23 Toyota lost its left-front tire after a loose lug nut sent the wheel rolling away during green-flag conditions. The issue forced Wallace to bring the car back down pit road, but the chaos didn’t end there.
As Wallace’s 23XI Racing crew scrambled to correct the mishap, the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team stepped in to help reattach the tire and push Wallace back to his pit box. However, NASCAR officials deemed the car to have been serviced outside of its designated stall, resulting in a costly penalty for the No. 23 team.
The sequence left Wallace several laps down and ended what had been a promising run. The setback adds to an already challenging season for the 23XI driver, who has shown flashes of speed but has struggled to convert them into consistent finishes.
NASCAR has made it clear in recent seasons that tire security remains a major safety focus, and penalties for wheels coming off are strictly enforced. In this case, Wallace’s team faced the double sting of losing time on track and serving the additional infraction.
While the No. 23 crew will regroup and analyze what went wrong, Wallace will look to rebound in the next event on the schedule. For now, the mishap serves as a reminder of just how quickly fortunes can change in the heat of a NASCAR race.
