Kevin Harvick explains 'misstep' from Bubba Wallace that doomed him at Darlington

Kevin Harvick believes Bubba Wallace made one big mistake at Darlington this past weekend that cost him a chance of potentially clinching a playoff spot. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick said that Wallace should have pitted at a crucial time during the race.

“I was surprised that Bubba Wallace didn’t pit the first time when they had three or four laps on their tires there. I think that was a mistake,” Harvick said. “I think that kind of started the spiral of not having a chance there at the end because he was eighth at that particular time and then wound up two cars in front of all the guys that had new tires. And then it put him back in the firestorm and then they pitted. I think they misstepped right there not putting tires on to give themselves a chance.”

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Wallace finished 16th at the Southern 500 and will not be one of the 16 drivers competing in the playoffs. It’s a little disappointing considering the 30-year-old reached the postseason last year and looked poised to take that next step in 2024.

Could Bubba Wallace play spoiler at Atlanta?

But that doesn’t mean Wallace is going to call it a season with 10 races remaining. Pat DeCola of NASCAR.com believes that Wallace is one of the non-playoff drivers who could win the first race of the postseason in Atlanta.

“Bubba Wallace was one of the strongest drivers over the summer, but a lack of wins — a stretch that runs back to 2022 — saw his playoff hopes evaporate,” DeCola wrote. “He did seem to elevate his game to a degree this year, however, and strong past performances on superspeedways make him a driver to watch at Talladega, where he’s won before. His fifth-place finish at Atlanta, another drafting-style track, in February, suggests he could play spoiler there as well, which would be a healthy heaping of bittersweetness for the No. 23 team.”

After the Darlington race, Wallace expressed his disappointment in falling short of the playoffs. “Unfortunate, I hate it for our guys, but hats off to the 14 [Chase Briscoe]. I thought I did something yesterday, they one-up’d us and showed up when it was game time. That’s pretty badass, so congrats to them. …Wasn’t good enough for 16th this year. Hate that, it stings saying that but wasn’t from lack of effort from all of us from this 23 car. Best of luck to the 45 [Tyler Reddick] and hopefully a Toyota wins.”