Two drivers had trouble getting in gear Sunday at Pocono Raceway, but only one was able to find much humor in it.
Bubba Wallace led four laps but finished last after he blew the transmission in his No. 43 Chevrolet by shifting from third into second on a Lap 107 restart of the Pocono 400.
“We took the wavearound, and we were on older stuff,” said Wallace, who had fallen a lap down because of a green-flag speeding penalty. "(Kasey Kahne) was a little bit better than us, well, for sure better. I just tucked in behind him so we didn’t waste too much time and kind of did like a long shift and give up a little bit of time.
“I did it earlier in the race around some cars and had no trouble with it. I just had too much weight and pulled to the left and went from third to second. I really hate and I have never done it before. It’s a bummer. She screamed pretty loud for a second, and that was it. It didn’t re-fire after that.”
Car owner Richard Petty managed to help him find some levity, though.
Another dead straight face response from The King...
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 3, 2018
"We're gonna get you an automatic transmission hahaha"
😒🤦🏽♂️
However, there was no comic relief for Clint Bowyer, who dropped from seventh to 20th in the final 10 laps after a shifting mistake on the last restart.
Sick to my stomach. Let my team down today. Had a fast car and completely blew it. Missed a shift on last restart and ruined our day.
— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) June 3, 2018
It was Bowyer’s third consecutive finish outside the top 10 since his runner-up showing at Dover International Speedway last month.
Dover is Bowyer’s only top five in eight races since his March 26 victory at Martinsville Speedway broke a winless drought that lasted more than five years.