Bubba Wallace Calls His Pit Crew “Family” as He Reveals the “Hardest Thing” About Joining Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team

Pit Crew is the secret weapon of every NASCAR Cup Series team. They probably don’t get the recognition that drivers do, but they are a very important part of the recipe for a Cup Series win. And Bubba Wallace recognizes the importance and tries to keep a good bond.

No team or driver is successful without a great strategy, and the crew to implement it. But each driver has a different relationship with the crew. Fortunately, Wallace is the one that looks after his crew! But that made leaving Richard Petty Motorsports very difficult.

In a recent episode of NASCAR’s Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie, Wallace talked about his Crew at Petty GMS, and how difficult it was to part ways with them.

Wallace said, “I am more of like a family guy. Like. I want my guys to be a part of our everyday lives and talking about more than just race cars. Whether that’s building race cars or pitting the race cars.”

He added, “Going into the 23 deal you know the hardest thing was leaving that atmosphere, that vibe everybody just wrapped your arms around.”

“And, that was the toughest thing to leave from the king all the way down to the last person.”

Fortunately, Bubba is succeeding at building the same environment at 23XI Racing.

Read More: Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace Reveals How Close He Came to Becoming an NBA Player

He said, “That’s the culture that I tried to bring to 23XI and it’s forming great. We’re still working on everything but they’re starting to see like, ‘okay this time bubba operates’.”

But it makes you wonder if Bubba was doing so well at Richard Petty Motorsports, why did he have to leave?

Why Did Bubba Wallace Leave Richard Petty Motorsports And Join 23XI Racing?

Well, the answer to that is pretty simple. He was looking for a different opportunity. His contract was expiring, so he jumped aboard the new NASCAR venture by the NBA legend Michael Jordan, and Denny Hamlin.

Although, Bubba recognizes his roots at Richard Petty Motorsports, as he talked about leaving the team.

“This was not an easy decision as I have nothing but the utmost respect for Richard Petty and his family, but I believe it’s time for someone else to take over the reins of the No. 43,” Wallace said in a Twitter post.

“Thank you to the King and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to start my Cup Series career. I’ve grown so much as a driver and as a person since joining them. We’ve got nine more races together, and I hope we can finish the 2020 season on a high note.”

Luckily, joining 23XI Racing worked out well for him, as he got his first ever Cup Series win in the #23 car at Talladega. Moreover, his racing has been better than ever recently, and he’s still improving.

So, will he make his way to the playoffs next season after his success at 23XI Racing?