Bubba Wallace Controversially Leaves Out Hendrick Motorsports Legend for Kyle Busch & Kyle Larson in His Top-5 NASCAR Drivers List

In the long history of NASCAR, there have been many amazing drivers. Drivers that have captured the imagination of fans across generations are those who achieved new heights, created new records and defined the landscape of NASCAR. Bubba Wallace, one of the most popular drivers from the circuit, has so far shared a love-hate relationship with the fans. Who made it to this “all time” list once picked by the sensational 23XI driver? Let’s find out.

On an episode with Showtime, Bubba Wallace discussed a vast range of topics. He discussed his childhood, his training and his journey to joining Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, 23XI Racing. At the end of the episode, he was asked some rapid-fire/quick-hitting questions. One of them was “Let us know top 5 NASCAR drivers of all time in your opinion.”

Bubba said, “Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson – all 7-time champions. I didn’t really pay attention to the older stuff, so people are gonna be like you didn’t say Cale Yarborough or you know Davey Allison. So I got those 3, and right now current time – Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson.”

Bubba’s list has some brilliant drivers – the likes of Richard “The King” Petty, Dale “The Intimidator” Earnhardt, and Jimmie “Superman” Johnson. These are men who established their dominance in NASCAR so much that they possibly buried a lot of good drivers’ careers in the sand – just because they couldn’t compete with legends of their stature.

While it isn’t possible to mention all the greats on a list of 5, Bubba makes one notable exception – Jeff Gordon. The current vice-chairman of Hendrick Motorsports is one of the most influential drivers of NASCAR. He was one of the fiercest rivals of Dale Earnhardt and gave him a tough time whenever they came up against each other.

Read More: Amid Mass Firings By Elon Musk, Kyle Busch Shows The Way As Team’s Future Appeared Bleak

That said, it would be reaching to read too much into Bubba’s list. There have been some amazing drivers, and there are some great drivers now – everyone is entitled to their choice, and Bubba made his.

Bubba Wallace shares his tips for becoming a NASCAR all-time legend

Bubba is a relatively young driver at 29 years old, with just 6 years of experience in the Cup Series. He continues to deliver good performances, and barring a few disciplinary issues in recent times – he could achieve a great high in the years to come.

But how does Bubba Wallace, or other NASCAR drivers for that matter, keep fit for a demanding sport like NASCAR? He said “So we have, our biggest thing is, all 3 manufacturers in the sport have a multi-million dollar simulation rig. It’s full motion, it’s basically the centre-section of our race car on actuators that move it. Some drivers can get in and make it happen and be with it, but I have a hard time like disconnecting reality versus virtual… but that’s probably the biggest tool for everybody in the field.”

He also points out how much new software and usage of data analysis have taken away “the art” of driving NASCAR. All teams now have access to what each driver does in their car, which means all plays are open for others to copy.

Watch This Story: NASCAR World In Disbelief Over Brawl In Race Amid Bubba Wallace-Kyle Larson Cloud Over Driver Behaviour

From what Bubba describes, competition in NASCAR has now become very ‘modern’. His top 3 would have trained completely differently from what he does. It was a different era then, but regardless of that, it boils down to what you do in the car.