Bubba Wallace Toyota teammate had to step in and fix his tire after it fell off after pit stop in Richmond

Bubba Wallace recently suffered an embarrassing slip-up during a NASCAR race.

The 23XI driver pulled into the pits during the latest fixture at Virginia’s Richmond Raceway.

Far from having all four wheels under him, Bubba Wallace’s left front wheel fell off immediately.

And it was thanks to his Toyota teammate that he was able to get going again.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

What exactly happened to Bubba Wallace?

So how did Bubba Wallace end up being abandoned by his left front wheel straight after a pit stop?

Well, it turns out that it could actually have been something of a freak accident.

The Toyota car came in to the pits to get four new tires and some fuel to get back out on track.

Bubba Wallace’s pit crew quickly jumped over the wall and got to work.

Unfortunately, this pit stop could not have gone less according to plan.

Why the No. 23 of @BubbaWallace had a loose wheel at Richmond and why the jackman wasn't at fault in this incident.

Quick video explainer of how I saw it play out. pic.twitter.com/j0MkzG6sUv— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) August 17, 2025

Initial reports suggested that the jack man might have lowered Wallace’s car too early.

If true, this would have meant that the tire changers wouldn’t have had time to finish securing the wheel.

Bozi Tatarevic, however, told a completely different story – and it might just have solved the mystery.

Posting on social media, Tatarevic points out that when the tire changers removed the left front wheel, the nut flew out of the socket.

This nut then landed on the ground behind the tire changers – and out of their view.

Such an accident generally doesn’t happen, because the specialized socket uses both an O-ring and magnets to hang onto the nut between wheel swaps.

Joe Gibbs Racing steps in to save the day

The tire changers noticed straight away that the nut wasn’t there when they put the new wheel on.

They tried to alert Bubba Wallace, but the car had already been put back on the ground and he was away.

Of course, Bubba Wallace didn’t realize what had happened until his wheel abandoned him.

The loose wheel caught up to Wallace and bounced off his car before the 23XI driver came to a stop.

Thankfully, Chase Briscoe’s pit crew came to the rescue, managing to put the runaway wheel back on.

“Pull in right there,” Wallace’s 23XI Racing pit crew radioed to him as he entered Briscoe’s pit stall.

Wallace obliged, and the Joe Gibbs Racing team crew helped their fellow Toyota driver on his way.

It was far from a world record pit change, but it ensured that Wallace could continue the race.

Wallace was ultimately bumped back to 31st place, but his earlier performance ensured his place in the NASCAR playoffs.The post Bubba Wallace Toyota teammate had to step in and fix his tire after it fell off after pit stop in Richmond appeared first on Supercar Blondie.