Amid Heating Kyle Petty Feud, Boss Denny Hamlin Discloses ‘Fragile’ Bubba Wallace Mental Shortcomings

Bubba Wallace had the most stressful week of his life last month ahead of the final regular season race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona. He qualified for the playoffs by the skin of his teeth. Ahead of the race, Bubba was so anxious that he did not speak to any media personnel just to keep his focus and his sights set on what he needed to achieve.

Former racer and broadcaster Kyle Petty did not take Bubba’s time off from the media very well. He called the 23XI Racing driver fragile and that the game was not for him. Petty isn’t one to sugarcoat his words. And neither is Bubba, who didn’t take long to hit back. But it’s true that the 23XI man used to have trouble keeping his emotions in check. This is what his boss Denny Hamlin spoke about after qualifying at Kansas.

Adversity Would ‘Derail’ Bubba Wallace, Says Boss Denny Hamlin

Wallace had a good qualifying session which saw him as the 10th fastest racer on the track. The 29-year-old will start three places higher than his boss Denny Hamlin in 14th. The two will probably have to fight it out for track position early on in the race, which could be interesting to watch.

Ahead of the race, Hamlin answered how Bubba Wallace’s skills and mentality have changed in his second year at 23XI Racing. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver outlined some shortcomings Wallace had in his mentality.

“In racing, you very seldom have a just trouble-free or adversity-free race… A couple of years ago, if he had something adverse like a spin-out at the end of stage one like he did, it really would derail his day. Just mentally would derail him and he’d struggle to come back from it,” Hamlin said.

But Bubba Wallace is not the same person he used to be a couple of years ago. He learned valuable skills and gained valuable experience ever since he joined 23XI. And now, he is a much more composed racer, which his boss Hamlin acknowledged.

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“The difference is we see him rebounding and finishing better than he probably was… so that’s a good trend for that team is to get better as the day goes; versus the opposite where it was, they were as good as it’s gonna get right off the truck. And then it typically went downhill from there. So that’s what I’ve noticed. He’s mentally been able to overcome adversity better,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said.

Bubba Wallace can be a man who allows himself to be ruled by his emotions at times. But of late, that has gone down. There has been a steady increase in his mental fortitude when he’s on the track. But there are some people who still think that he mentally isn’t strong enough for the sport. One of those people is Kyle Petty.

Wallace Gives Cheeky Response to Kyle Petty’s ‘Fragile’ Comment

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The championship-less former driver was not too impressed with Wallace not performing his media duties ahead of the final regular season race at Daytona last month. Wallace was taking time for himself so that he could focus on a crucial race. But Petty was having absolutely none of it.

“That’s why you make the big bucks, dude. You got to handle it. Put it on your shoulders and carry it. If mentally he is that fragile, then maybe this is not the game for him, honestly,” he said.

Petty is known to be a straight shooter who does not mince his words. And the same is true for Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing man simply shrugged off the broadcaster’s remarks with a sarcastic comment he made ahead of the race at Darlington.

“I am just here to fulfill my media obligations before the race. I got a word count, though. So, I start speaking too many words, I start to get really anxious and mentally fragile,” Bubba quipped.

Going into the race at Kansas, Bubba Wallace will hope for a good result as he is in a good starting position. Finishing inside the top 10 will give the 23XI Racing man some valuable points. It will also help him progress to the next round.

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