Bubba Wallace Reveals the Hardest Thing to Learn as a Driver, After He Struggled With Mental Health Throughout His Racing Career

The pressure of being a driver in NASCAR is intense, to say the very least. With continuous demand for performance and a tight schedule, staying mentally prepared is of utmost importance. NASCAR has taken a step towards showing the fans, the unexplored side of the sport through short films. And in the latest one, they present their takes on the sensitive issue of driver pressure and mental strength.

Bubba Wallace is one of the drivers who has had it rough so far.

The only driver of color in the Cup Series, he has been subject to a lot of disrespect. Bubba, although, has not let this drag him down. With such pressure and hatred directed towards him, venting out his emotions is reasonable. He talks about the same in the short film by NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace Calls Out Stereotypes About Mental Strength

The 23XI Racing driver is one of the more vocal opposers of hate in NASCAR. While he has had his share of controversies, a lot of unwarranted abuse has been directed at him. One of the more recent events was when his team’s radio channel was infiltrated with disruptive statements. The audio recordings show that the words were, “Go back to where you came from”. 

As someone who has had mental health issues, Bubba talked about arguably the toughest thing he learned as a driver. He said, “You know, outside of our sport you know, talking about your issues is a sign of weakness, when it’s actually a great sign of strength.”

Many drivers feature in this episode and speak on the issue as well. Kurt Busch reveals his idea of when one needs to be patient and endure the phases. “There can be where you’re perfectly fine and you want to better yourself. Or, it could be where you’re struggling and you need some help.” Being one of the most experienced veterans in the industry, Busch understands that the ride can get a bit bumpy at times.

Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie said that sometimes one can only do so much with what he is provided to win. He said, “If you only have to practice them you get better at them over time. If you only have a hammer and a screwdriver in your toolbox then you’re not going to be able to fix a whole lot of stuff”

Seeing drivers speak out on the struggles they face inside them is a great sight. Staying level-headed despite adversities can only improve a person.

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Bubba then takes up the topic of learning to keep your head up in tough times. He emphasized that winning is the ultimate goal. “And you can win races a handful of ways. It’s a hard thing to learn is accepting defeat. You know, being okay with that, because I always say winning makes everything better,” said Bubba.

Corey LaJoie has had it rough recently with a disappointing finish in Chase Elliott’s #9 Camaro at WTC. Coming into the Gateway with more expectations in his mind, Corey had a disappointing finish. As the video goes on, LaJoie talks about the contrast in how NASCAR is seen from the outside and how it actually is.

He explains, “You picture this rockstar lifestyle and you picture you’re gonna just go in here and you know, be the next Jimmie Johnson and there are a lot of guys that are unbelievably gifted at driving race cars.”

“That learning curve was exponentially more steep than I anticipated.”

Corey and Bubba’s words truly show the unseen side of a driver’s life. In their fast-paced lives, there is little to no time to sit back and relax for a second. In such conditions, speaking your mind out could be an invaluable facility.

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