Watch Bubba Wallace Reverse Out of the 28-Car NASCAR Talladega Wreck

Most of the 40-car NASCAR Cup Series field got caught in the same crash at Talladega on Sunday, and Bubba Wallace was no exception. While the wreck meant the end of the day for most people, Wallace was able to roll away under his car's own power. He rolled away backward, though.

An on-board video from the race shows how Wallace got into that particular predicament. After being left with nowhere to go when the crash started at the front of the pack, the 23XI Racing driver spun into turn three and coasted down the banking into a sudden junkyard of wrecked cars. He tried to roll away when the wreck finally ended, but he hardly moved and he stopped halfway up the turn 3 banking. Undeterred, he threw the car into reverse and got out the other way.

Wallace then coasted away from the crash backward, taking the time to explain to his team what damage he received in the crash. He breaks composure only to yell out in exclamation when passing the No. 31 of Daniel Hemric while still rolling backward. Eventually, he stops on the flat pit entry after turn 4 and turns around before continuing on without even making a pit stop.

So, why is he driving backward? Wallace mentions that he "learned this trick from old KB," a reference to Kyle Busch reversing away from a crash at Texas Motor Speedway last year. As NASCAR executive Elton Sawyer explained after that incident, the current Cup Series car can sometimes get stuck on banking and rendered immobile after a big crash. Reversing away and clearing the banked corner before turning around allows a driver to get out of one of those situations without getting stuck again, a major advantage when the alternative is a long tow truck ride back to the pit lane.

By reversing out, Wallace was able to get back into the pits under his car's power. Thanks to that bit of ingenuity, Wallace went on to salvage a ninth-place finish despite being involved in the field-sweeping crash.

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