NASCAR races today are significantly different from what they were back in the 1970s. There was a time when having the fastest car mattered most to the teams. However, after NASCAR introduced the next generation of stock cars, speed is not the last say in winning a race. And that too, for good reason.
Just think about it, when there are 40 cars with almost the same specifications and stats, how is it possible for a driver to dominate another? So, it all comes down to strategy. And so was the case for Bubba Wallace. Bubba was barely clinging on to the tiny string of hope that kept him out of the bubble before Saturday’s race at Daytona. However, when there was no new winner, Bubba Wallace did something that he had never done while running on a Superspeedway.
NASCAR insiders revealed Bubba Wallace’s never-done-before act, moments before the checkered flag
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With William Byron winning at Watkins Glen, there was just one prized playoff berth up for grabs. And had there been another new winner, it would have fallen into their hands and Bubba would have missed his chance of making it in. But luckily, that did not happen. For the first time in his entire career, the 23XI driver qualified for the round of 16s.
In one of his recent videos, NASCAR analyst and reporter Jeff Gluck illuminated the one thing that Denny Hamlin‘s driver did that he had never done at Daytona.
Although the #23 team did not have the fastest car, once Ty Gibbs was out with a crash in Stage 2, Bubba was hanging on to his playoff spot. However, there were other fearsome contenders racing along Wallace. According to Jeff’s co-host Jordan, the top 3 were Briscoe, Almirola and Preece. Not to mention the HMS duo, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman.
But when Bubba saw Buescher cross the line, he did it. Gluck said, “He (Bubba) said when he saw Buescher cross the line and win, it was the first time he got off the gas before the finish line at a superspeedway.”
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Jordan laughed and said, “He’s gonna sleep a good night.”
Bubba Wallace’s sole strategy was not based on technicalities but on a specific mindset
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The week closing in on Daytona was exceptionally rough for Bubba. His pit crew has been dragging him behind almost every time. Then there are the expectations of an NBA legend on his shoulders. He admitted to having woken up at 2:30 in the night out of stress. Even his wife, Amanda, was worried about the 29-year-old speedster. But after the race was done and dusted, all those sleepless nights seemed to pay off.
Not everything is under our control. However, the best we can do is to leave no stone unturned. Bubba did exactly that. When a Frontstretch reporter asked Bubba what it felt like to know that there might be a new winner, and that he could do nothing about it, Bubba said that although the feeling of being powerless was devastating, he did everything that he could do. He admitted, “We didn’t have any dumb errors, we didn’t take ourselves out of it…just executed like we were supposed to.”
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Bubba is now setting his target at Darlington Speedway next month. As NASCAR fans, let’s just cross our fingers and pray that Bubba does not get unlucky ever again.