“Angers Me a Little” – Bubba Wallace Once Shared His Annoyance Over His Reputation as a Driver

Bubba Wallace is undoubtedly one of the most famous NASCAR drivers. First of all, he was the first African-American driver to race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, since, Wendell Scott. And second, he has an innate talent to make it to the headlines for one reason or another.

However, there was something about his popularity that the 23XI driver was not happy about. During an interview with BBC, Wallace opened up about his career and the fame that followed with it. Furthermore, Bubba Wallace shared that looking back on his journey, everything was a mixture of some good and some bad.

Admitting that he has realized that his persona is not just restricted to being a race car driver, he talked about shifting gears between his driver and human being face. While talking about his journey in the 2020 Cup season, Wallace said, “Seeing how I was elevated to much greater heights, from where I was at the beginning of the season, is kind of surreal.”

However, he also added that he was unhappy with his reputation as a race car driver. Talking about how people know him because of the controversies rather than his driving skills. Wallace further stated, “It angers me a little that I became a household name off the race track. It just means I’ve got more work to do on the race track.”

READ MORE: Bubba Wallace Sheds Light on His Fatal “Mistake” That Kicked Michael Jordan & Denny Hamlin Out of NASCAR Owner Playoffs at the ROVAL

Good or bad, Wallace is one of the most discussed drivers in the sport. NASCAR fans either hate him or love him for his personality and driving skills. The past two years have been a learning curve for him and his performance in 2022, has been a testament to that.

Bubba Wallace and his performance in the 2022 season

In 2021, Bubba Wallace announced his association with Denny Hamlin, and Michael Jordan co-owned, 23XI Racing. Moreover, Kurt Busch also became a part of the team in 2022. However, due to concussion-like symptoms, Kurt Busch had to skip the races this season.

Hence, replacing Busch’s #45, Bubba Wallace entered the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs. Although having started the year on a bad note, Wallace managed to clinch his second Cup Series victory at the Kansas Speedway earlier in September.

WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Salary and Net Worth 2022

Recently, Wallace put up a great show at the ROVAL. Finishing the race at P7, the 23XI driver contributed a significant number of points for the Owner’s Championship. In a post-race interview, he said,“P7 here at ROVAL, car is somewhat in one piece. I made a mistake early on, that really set us back and we’re fighting hard for the owner’s deal and took ourselves out of good points. All in all, to come out of here with a top 10 is good, should just keep on building on the road course experience…four to go.”