Every race has its ups and downs, sometimes drivers perform well, and sometimes they don’t. However, it becomes devastating for a driver to consistently finish in the bottom half, especially after registering an improvement in performance in the previous season. 23XI Racing‘s Bubba Wallace can perfectly correlate with the situation. Having performed consistently well during the latter half of the 2022 Cup Series season, his expectations for himself were already at their peak.
But, the recent races at Atlanta and the Circuit of The Americas didn’t go as expected. Finishing at the 27th and 37th positions, respectively, made Wallace doubt his abilities. The driver was so frustrated with his performance that he said, “Just trying my hardest not to go down that slippery slope of self-doubt right here […], I need to be replaced.”
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However, Wallace has now changed his stance and fans are calling him out for that.
What made the driver change his mind?
Veteran motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass recently tweeted a video, in which Bubba Wallace seems to have gotten over his frustration with himself. Wallace said, “I realized I need to put in the work to just be better. I was solely riding on confidence, and you can get by with it for maybe a week or two, other than that you need to put in the work.”
“We put in a lot of work to get to COTA, on the sim stuff and we fired off with speed with 45, but got into the race and just had a brain lapse and that cost us.” He added.
Bubba Wallace explains what happened at COTA, what he is doing to get his confidence back and what he meant by the comment that the driver needs to be replaced. pic.twitter.com/ZRu3az991R
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 1, 2023
Wallace disclosed that his family was the first to reach out to him. But, it was Bubba’s mother whose words changed his perspective about situations. The 29-year-old said, “My mom has said to me, ‘You know if you want things to change, you got to change yourself.'”
Wallace’s mother’s wise words made him realize the impulsive nature of his comments, and he soon changed his stance to a promising one.
Read More: “…Great Things Coming for 23XI Racing” – Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Leaves Fans Psyched For 2023
It looks like Bubba has had some time to ponder. However, the fans’ reactions are not what he would’ve expected in this scenario as several fans went on to ridicule him and his team owner.
Fans couldn’t digest Bubba’s changed mindset
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With Tyler Reddick’s hard work paying dividends, Bubba’s coming back to his senses is more good news for 23XI Racing. He commented out of frustration, but is composed now and ready to race. However, fans have bashed Wallace for his attitude and raised concerns about his behavior which could probably affect the team owner, Michael Jordan. Following the tweet by Bob Pockrass, some of the fans joined the thread and derided Wallace. A fan even had a remark on Jordan.
Another one of Michael Jordans failed business dealings
— FootballFollies (@Free4me23) April 1, 2023
Others found Wallace’s attitude to be problematic.
Definitely always an excuse with you
— Don Mittlieder (@DonMittlieder) April 1, 2023
Doesn’t even look you in the face. All talk. Like how he blamed Larson for making the mistake at Indy.
— Wendy Bauer (@wendybauer23) April 1, 2023
He’s not helping himself here
— Steve Goodwin (@vermonter8812) April 2, 2023
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A fan shared a supposedly morphed image of Wallace asking people to change his mind following his “I need to be replaced” comment.
I agree with Bubba Wallace – #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Dqa7LZH5A1
— Joe Biden Destroyed America (@StrokerAce90) April 1, 2023
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The recent happenings in NASCAR have already kept the fans disappointed. Now, looking at the reactions to Wallace’s changed mindset, it seems that fans have a lot to complain about. It is also worth asking, has Jordan placed an unwinnable bet on Bubba?
Watch This Story: 23XI Racing owner Michael Jordan betting against his own driver Bubba Wallace