While Bubba Wallace is still facing a lot of pressure to get into the Playoffs, the pole qualifier did offer him a sigh of relief. Talking about how he feels about the race after the Busch Light Pole at Darlington, he says, “I think the pressure just switched.” Wallace is definitely in contention for the win with a chance to kickstart the race by leading the field. On the other hand, if things go south, he will also have an upper hand on Chris Buescher, who will begin the race at 10th with a 21-point lead over Bubba.

Be as it may, the #23 driver is ready for a tough fight at the Cook Out Southern 500 because he believes that’s all he can control. If the efforts don’t bear results, then that’s just luck.

“We don’t want to mess around,” says Bubba ahead of Darlington

The past couple of years have been challenging Bubba in terms of having a well-coordinated team. Given that 23XI Racing is still a young team that is trying to iron out its issues and shortcomings, there were some inevitable changes. But as those were addressed, the team has definitely come out stronger.

With all the coordination lapses in the past, the team has a list of things it knows it shouldn’t do. To top it off, Wallace knew exactly what he needed in his car to perform, and he shared it with his crew chief, Bootie Barker. The team worked on the requirements in the Spring race and unlocked the car’s potential for the qualifiers.

Nonetheless, Wallace acknowledges the fact that the race can be unpredictable, going by the recent precedents from Richmond to Daytona. So, there is a good level of uncertainty about what could go wrong. But Wallace affirms during the pre-race conference, “All I want is, every single person who is a part of this team, including myself, is to go to bed tomorrow night saying ‘We did whatever we could. We did all we could. And maybe it was good enough, maybe it wasn’t.’“

At this point, Wallace is manifesting and striving equally for the desired results. As Bubba says, “I’m excited to see what tomorrow offers.” And how is the overall team’s morale for the finale?

Bubba Wallace enjoys the support of his team owners

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NASCAR drivers always crave success and victory lanes, but some tough races take a toll on their psyche. And when the battle persists across seasons, they need an adequate push to still keep giving their best. As per Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan has been kind enough to offer that kind of support to Wallace.

That being said, real change always comes from within. And when people see someone doing the work on themselves, they tend to join in for help. In Hamlin’s words, “He’s taken responsibility for that (his blunders) that’s something that I think that you know a few years ago he would have been placing blame elsewhere so I think that he knows where he needs to improve but I’m very pleased with where he’s at right now and where he’s going to go.”

So, the entire team is hopeful and is in the right state of mind to make the most of the advantageous situation they’re in. If Wallace can manage to solidify his playoff spot tomorrow, it will be time for a grand celebration for the team.