Texas Motor Speedway has a reputation for treacherous racing conditions. This proved to be true on Saturday afternoon as Bubba Wallace wrecked during Cup Series practice.
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The incident occurred in the closing minutes of Group 1 practice. Wallace's No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE suddenly spun around and backed into the wall. This caused significant damage and forced NASCAR to throw the red flag.
Wallace, who had the fifth-fastest time at 29.506 seconds, made it back to the garage area before taking the mandatory trip to the infield care center.
Trouble in Turn 2!@BubbaWallace goes around and gets into the wall. pic.twitter.com/wJitVZwGbg
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 2, 2026
"This is Texas, it's treacherous," he told Fox Sports' Regan Smith. "I was wondering if I got too high, and it looks like I had a decent arch, and felt a little loose, but then it just came around so far. Unfortunate.
"Our guys have had a really long week getting this Chumba Casino Camry ready, and now I just gave them an even longer day today. So, unfortunate, but we'll be fine. We've got the best group in the garage and (we'll) work hard tonight and put on a show tomorrow."
The three-time Cup Series winner told media members after the crash that he believed the No. 23 team would have to go to a backup car for Sunday's race (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
Wallace also said that the odds will be against him and his team. After all, they will start at the rear of the field along with Austin Dillon, whose No. 3 needed an engine change. Wallace will also miss out on a solid pit stall selection.
Wallace has a mix of success and struggles at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished eighth at the track in his first Cup start there and then he finished 23rd or worse in six of the next seven races.
He won the pole for the first time at the track in 2023, and he followed it up with a third-place finish. Wallace then finished seventh in 2024 and 33rd in 2025 due to a crash.
