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Bubba Wallace crashes during NASCAR Cup qualifying at Sonoma
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bubba Wallace crashes during NASCAR Cup qualifying at Sonoma

Bubba Wallace had just completed his first lap of qualifying at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday when his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota snapped loose on the exit of turn 10 and hit the wall. 

Wallace had just put down the ninth-fastest lap of the qualifying session as one of the first drivers from group two to hit the racetrack. He got into the dirt on the exit of turn 10 and overcorrected, sending his car into the wall.

The front end of Wallace's car was heavily damaged, with Wallace relaying to his crew over the radio that they were "done" for the day. 

Qualifying crash a setback for Bubba Wallace

It's unknown whether or not the No. 23 team will go to a backup car. The team repaired Wallace's car two weeks ago at Pocono after a qualifying crash. 

Wallace has shown improved speed at road courses this season. He was fourth-fastest in practice earlier on Saturday and finished runner-up at San Diego last week after having to bounce back from a two-lap penalty early in the race. 

If Wallace is forced to go to a backup car for Sunday's race, he would have to start the race at the rear of the field. Wallace is taking on Michael McDowell on Sunday at Sonoma in what is also the first race of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge. 

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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