Bubba Wallace Faces Huge Setback at Pocono After His 'Brakes Exploded'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Bubba Wallace faced a huge setback in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway after a brake rotor failure on his car. If that wasn't enough, the front tire on his car gave in, causing Wallace to lose control and crash.
Wallace's race got off to a bad start when he suffered a mechanical problem in qualifying. That caused his team to make last-minute tweaks to his car, which resulted in him starting the race at the back of the field.
Wallace hasn't won a race this year, which compromises his position in the playoffs. Following the setback in Pocono, his position in the standings dropped from 10th to 12th.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald's Toyota, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald's Toyota, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.However, considering NASCAR's rule, which guarantees a playoffs spot to any driver who wins a race, Wallace has been pushed down in the playoff standings, given the victories secured by Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, and Shane van Gisbergen thus far in the season.
The incidents at Pocono added a significant dent to his position this season, and unfortunately, there was nothing much he could do about them. Addressing the brake failure incident, Wallace said:
"I was going to battle the 17 [Chris Buescher] and the 2 [Austin Cindric] and by the time I was ready to touch the pedal it just went to the floor and the brakes exploded.
"I hate it, we've had two or three good races in a row [sixth at Nashville, fourth at Michigan and 12th at Mexico] and there goes the bad luck again."
Expressing his frustration, the 23XI driver added:
"They told me there's no such thing as bad luck, we create our own luck. I hate it for my guys, I hate it for McDonald's. We knew it was going to be a grind and I was mentally prepared for that all day.
"As frustrating as it gets not being able to pass here in Pocono, we were going to just take our lumps and march our way through and set ourselves up for the end of the race, but the brakes just didn't want to hang on that long."
In a separate interview, when Wallace was asked to confirm if it was a brake issue, he said:
"My foot told my a**, which told my brain."
"(That's) what my foot told my ass and my brain" -@BubbaWallace when asked if it was a brake failure on his car.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/87wJtTu5zV — Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) June 22, 2025
Results from the Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway
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