Bubba Wallace had a harsh critique of himself after his third-place finish in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Wallace’s P3 finish for 23XI Racing was a good start to the Round of 12 of the Cup Series playoffs. But the driver of the No. 23 Toyota felt he should have captured the checkered flag.
Wallace started from P1, led 111 laps (more than anyone else) and was in position to win the race. But he blew it on a restart on Lap 262 of 267. He chose the outside lane and ended up getting passed by William Byron and Ross Chastain, resulting in his third-place finish.
“I’m just upset with myself. (We) really needed a win there. It’s a good showing. I don’t know where that puts us, don’t really care. I did what I did and I choked,” Wallace said in an interview with NBC after the race.
While Byron won the race and has advanced to the Round of 8, Wallace is still behind Kyle Larson for the final spot in the next round.
Finishing P3 vs. winning the race is the difference from clinching a spot in the next round and not. Wallace knows he could have done more and just missed it.
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