The Full Unedited Video of Bubba Wallace and Aric Almirola During Coke 600 Shows the SHR Driver Was the Aggressor With More Than a Shove
Bubba Wallace had a solid run at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 on Monday, finishing fourth, his third consecutive top-five finish. However, it wasn’t his on-track performance everyone was talking about after the race, but a short video clip aired by Fox during the broadcast that showed the 23XI Racing driver getting into a heated discussion with Aric Almirola that included the Stewart-Haas Racing driver shoving him before a NASCAR official intervened.
But wait, there’s more. A lot more. Sportscasting obtained the full unedited video from the fan who captured the confrontation. It shows the SHR driver was not only the aggressor, initiating contact with Wallace but following him down pit road, where the two stood toe-to-toe multiple times for more heated discussion.
Bubba Wallace gets shoved by Aric Almirola in brief video shown during broadcast
After a rain delay in the Coca-Cola 600 on Monday, Fox aired a video posted by a fan on Twitter, which showed Bubba Wallace getting aggressively shoved by Aric Almirola during that break in the action. There was no context as to why it happened.
The details came out later during post-race interviews.
“Early in the race, I felt like I was giving Bubba a lot of room when we were racing around each other,” Almirola said. “And when he got by me, he shot me the bird so I just went to go ask him, why he shot me the bird and he started mouthing off and cussing at me and I told him I wasn’t gonna have that. So yeah, disappointing. That’s him. I know that.”
Wallace viewed it differently.
“Passionate man, we’re racing hard for that second stage and we finished fourth so it was a good day,” Wallace said. When a reporter asked if the 23XI Racing driver was surprised by Almirola’s reaction, he didn’t hold back. “No, when you walk around with two faces, that’s what you get.”
Full unedited video shows Almirola the aggressor, pursuing Wallace down pit road
While understandable that Fox wanted to get the brief clip on the broadcast as soon as possible, the network has since shown that same clip repeatedly on NASCAR Race Hub. But it only tells a small part of the story and what happened at the beginning of the exchange.
The full video, which is more than two minutes long, shows after the shove by Almirola and the NASCAR official stepping in, Wallace walks back to the SHR driver, and they stand face-to-face, the 23XI Racing driver getting animated. This lasts for almost 15 seconds, with Wallace slowly taking a few steps backward and walking away.
When Wallace finally does attempt to walk away, Almirola quickly pursues, getting slightly in front of the driver, where the conversation resumes.
That chat lasted for just over 15 seconds before Wallace again tried to walk away. And again, Almirola closely follows, except this time, the 23XI Racing driver took just a few steps, stopped quickly, and turned right, his shoulder briefly going into the chest of the SHR driver walking directly behind him.
After a few more seconds of talking, the same scenario happens again, with Wallace attempting to walk away and Almirola on his heels. Following another brief conversation, the pair begin walking in the same direction side-by-side, but separated by a few feet, and that same NASCAR official who seems to find his way in the middle of conflicts lately.
The pair continue talking as they walk, Wallace eventually getting out in front, and the two separated by the largest distance (approximately eight feet) when Almirola said something, which prompted the 23XI driver to take a right turn and several steps toward the SHR driver for another chat.
Face-to-face for another brief conversation, the two separated, and Wallace continued walking in the same direction while Almirola appeared to be turning back to head the other way. However, in a role reversal, Wallace said something that provoked the SHR driver, who turned and again started pursuing the No. 23 pilot.
The NASCAR official finally stepped in and grabbed Almirola’s arm, and began pulling him away. Wallace, who had turned and was walking backward, stopped and, with his hands behind his back, began walking toward the SHR driver, who was being escorted away.
In one final move, it appears Wallace gives a thumbs up, turns, and walks away as Almirola walks the opposite direction.
Is this over?
On the Door Bumper Clear podcast this week, Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft said the two drivers haven’t ever been fond of each other. That was evident during the tension-filled walk down pit road at Charlotte.
Interestingly, Wallace and Almirola were two of the three drivers participating in a two-day tire test this week at Michigan. If there was a conversation, maybe the pair worked it out. Or maybe they agreed to disagree.
Based on the full video and what Kraft said, this likely isn’t going away anytime soon.
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