Bubba Wallace suffered extreme fatigue after racing 500 miles at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 85 degree temperatures. He was treated and released from the infield care center following the race.
Wallace appeared to zone out during his post-race interview with FOX's Jamie Little as the broadcast quickly cut away to allow him to receive medical attention.
Oh my God did Bubba Wallace just pass out during an interview? He mentioned being exhausted after standing up too fast after the race. Really scary moment after the #FOHQT500. #nascar pic.twitter.com/WE3bVjhGAl
— Cameron Newton (@CamBNewton) June 7, 2020
Update on Bubba...Scary moment to witness in person. Gave us the ‘all good’ for the interview and then he was ‘out’. So glad he’s ok! https://t.co/ampkdHwY4Z
— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) June 8, 2020
The 26-year-old Wallace let his followers on social media know he was OK and jokingly made a "Call of Duty" reference afterwards.
Got sent to the Gulag..
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 8, 2020
Won that...
Where we dropping.
Aka I’m good.
This is the second time this has happened to Wallace in his career, as he fainted at Pocono in 2017 in his Cup debut. Ryan Newman, who suffered a concussion on the last lap of the 2020 Daytona 500, was also shown looking tired on the broadcast but did not receive medical assistance.
The race was originally supposed to be run in mid-March, when temperatures average in the 50s and 60s, however due to COVID-19 the race was rescheduled to June.
"It was a little bit warm," second-place finisher Kyle Busch said after the race via Zoom. "I have ice packs that I use with me and a helmet cooler that I use. My strategy always seems to work out OK."
As for Wallace, he finished the race 21st but drew attention before the race by wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt reading "I Can't Breathe" along with an American flag mask. Wallace is the only full-time black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series and has been outspoken over the past week following the recent events in Minneapolis and across the world.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 7, 2020
NASCAR joined Wallace in speaking out against systemic racism before the race as president Steve Phelps delivered a message to the drivers as the cars came to a halt with one lap to go until green. The message was followed by a moment of silence and a video featuring Wallace and other drivers.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps addressed today's competitors prior to today's race at @amsupdates. pic.twitter.com/7fZLUMkWxj
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 7, 2020
The sport returns to action on Wednesday night at Martinsville, a track where Wallace finished 13th last season.