“I appreciate every single one of you believing in me. It’s been a long f—— road.” Bubba Wallace said these words soon after clinching the revered Brickyard 400 trophy. That victorious moment marked the end of a 100-race winless streak, and it also marked the beginning of a new chapter for Wallace. That is because the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota driver is on a fever-high in 2025, with no intentions of backing down.
The NASCAR Cup Series visited Watkins Glen International for the past weekend, with all eyes on a road course racing god. Shane van Gisbergen mesmerized his fans and peers yet again with his 4th victory of the season, but meanwhile, Bubba Wallace also quietly kept up a solid streak.
Bubba Wallace is back in his game mode
There had been no dearth of struggles for Michael Jordan’s mentee. In 2024, Bubba Wallace went through a whirlwind of events. NASCAR slapped him with a $50,000 fine for his aggressive actions in Chicago, and Wallace fell short of making the playoffs by a thin margin. However, the good changes have been remarkable too. Wallace became a father after he and Amanda Wallace welcomed Becks Hayden. As if the happiness of holding his baby was not enough, Wallace’s new crew chief, Charles Denike, brought a fresh change of air. These factors pushed the 23XI Racing driver to put on his best possible form in 2025 – and the stats already prove that.
Bubba Wallace qualified in 15th place for the Go Bowling at the Glen race. Despite it being a road course, which has historically not been his best track type, Wallace stormed to a top ten finish by the checkered flag. This 8th-place finish marked his fourth straight top ten since Dover. A NASCAR fan on Reddit marveled at his stats, which echo Wallace’s 2022 game mode. “It’s not only his best stretch this season, it’s his best stretch of races since New Hampshire-Michigan in 2022, where he finished: third, eighth, fifth, and second. Simply put, Bubba has been having the time of his life lately, and I’m very happy to see his success recently! I’m happy for you Bubba fans! You deserve this! Congratulations!”
Jacob Seelman/Race Face Digital photo
While the on-track performance is right on point, Bubba Wallace’s branding work is also amazing. 23XI Racing is facing an endless tide of uncertainty – its drivers are running open seats without charter security amidst the ongoing NASCAR lawsuit. Nevertheless, Wallace is bringing about a cultural revolution via a collaboration with Disney+’s hit series, ‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’. His lucrative partnership with Disney, a colossal $200 billion entertainment juggernaut, speaks loudly about Wallace’s additional achievements.
While Bubba Wallace constantly smashes the walls of limitations, his NASCAR fan base is also pumped.
NASCAR fans trumpet his success
A short while back, this would have been an oddity. Bubba Wallace‘s large section of detractors in NASCAR is hardly anything new. Through his Cup Series career, across tenures in Richard Petty Motorsports and 23XI Racing, many people have doubted his racing prowess. But as Wallace emerges as a solid contender, his fans are excited. Somebody wrote gleefully, “I honestly want to see Bubba win a championship just to see what chaos unfolds on Facebook and Twitter.” Others traced Wallace’s improvement to the changes in 2024. From little Becks’ warm influence to Charles Denike’s voice of support, Wallace has many beneficial factors. One fan wrote, “I think becoming a dad has certainly helped Bubba, but Charles is a breath of fresh air on top of the box. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Bootie.”
The new four-race streak of top ten finishes enthralled fans, who expect more of it. Daytona and Richmond remain in the regular season championship. Wallace has great chances in both, with 4 top-five finishes in Daytona and a 4th-place finish in Richmond last year. So one fan wrote, “Next tracks up are generally good too if his luck can hold up.” What encouraged fans more about Wallace’s progress was his good results on a road course like Watkins Glen. That clears his way for a solid prospect in Round 2 of the playoffs. Another fan wrote, “Best part is he is showing competitive speed at road courses even if his finishes don’t reflect it. That will help at the Roval in the second round.”
Then, Bubba Wallace’s marvelous run has been a result of comprehensive efforts by his team. The No. 23 Toyota team has toiled relentlessly with Wallace behind the wheel and Charles Denike in the pit box. Hence, Wallace’s comfort in the playoffs is nothing surprising, as a fan wrote: “It’s been so much fun not worrying about the bubble. They’re really on it with confidence!”
Bubba Wallace is harnessing extra energy this season, and fans are all in on the effort. With the regular season drawing to a close soon, how ripe do you think Wallace’s title chances are?
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