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NASCAR: Kevin Harvick Voices Major Concerns About Bubba Wallace Penalty

Kevin Harvick, one of the elder statesmen of NASCAR, has dropped his two cents on the Bubba Wallace-Kyle Larson incident that unfolded last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The long-time driver is asking the league to protect its athletes better from these types of situations.

NASCAR suspended Wallace one race after he hooked Larson in the right rear, a retaliation action that sparked a lot of frustration among drivers. After both drivers were knocked out of the event, Wallace then confronted Larson, shoving him multiple times.

Racing RounTable asked Harvick for his thoughts via Twitter. The 46-year-old wants NASCAR to act.

“Intentionally hooking people in the RR should never be acceptable,” Harvick responded. “Protect us from ourselves. I hope this is the beginning of the end of it happening.”

Harvick has voiced his opinion on safety in the sport for months, primarily regarding the issues with the NextGen car. This is another issue he’d like to see resolved going forward.

He’s not alone, either.

Should NASCAR Have Suspended Bubba Wallace Longer?

NASCAR issued a one-race suspension to Wallace following last week’s instead. He’ll miss this Sunday’s Homestead race in Miami before hopping back behind the wheel. NBC Sports analyst and former driver Kyle Petty doesn’t believe that’s long enough.

Petty says NASCAR should’ve issued a penalty that kept Wallace sidelined the remainder of the season.

“He should have been suspended for the rest of the year,” Petty said. “Turns a guy into the outside wall, then walks across the racetrack. First, you intentionally wreck somebody. That’s a suspension. He’s walking across the racetrack and cars are going by him on both sides. That’s not safe. That should be another suspension.”

23XI Racing released a statement following NASCAR’s decision, saying it agreed with the decision to suspend Wallace for a race. John Hunter Nemecheck will be in the driver’s seat in Wallace’s place at Miami.