At the Goodyear 400 in Darlington, Ryan Blaney’s push for a playoff spot took another hit following a dramatic late-race incident involving Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson. The chaos unfolded with just four laps to go when Blaney had just taken the lead from Tyler Reddick. At the same time, Wallace made contact with Larson on the backstretch, causing the No. 5 Chevrolet to spin and bringing out a late caution.
As the race headed into overtime, the frontrunners opted for fresh tires during pit stops. Unfortunately for Blaney, he lost the lead on pit road to Denny Hamlin, who ultimately powered his No. 11 Toyota to victory. Blaney, who seemed poised for a win, had to settle for fifth—still only his second top-five of the season.
What followed after the race added more intrigue. During Blaney’s post-race interview, Bubba Wallace approached him for a brief, private exchange. NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass shared a clip of the moment on X, noting that Wallace likely wanted to discuss the caution caused by the contact with Larson. The conversation was kept under wraps, and Blaney chose not to reveal what Wallace had whispered.
Blaney remains seventh in the playoff standings, trailing Hamlin, while Wallace dropped to eighth. Despite starting fifth, Wallace fell to 21st by the end of the race. His run had looked promising early, especially after securing second in Stage 1. However, things unraveled in Stage 2, and the incident with Larson sealed his disappointing finish.
According to NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck, Wallace later explained that he didn’t expect Larson to slow down so much after Reddick’s crash and admitted the resulting contact ruined Blaney’s race. He also expressed regret over the incident and apologized to Blaney privately.
Wallace had been on a strong run before Darlington, with back-to-back third-place finishes at Martinsville and Homestead-Miami. His average finish after eight races now sits at 17.7, with two DNFs and 233 total points. His teammate Tyler Reddick fared better at Darlington, finishing higher in the standings in fifth place.
The interaction between Wallace and Blaney, especially with the playoff race heating up, has sparked fan curiosity and speculation about what was really said on pit road.
