It’s no secret that Bubba Wallace is NASCAR’s most polarizing driver. The 31-year-old is used to getting hate from unruly fans and has developed a reputation for coming up with witty comebacks. The 23XI Racing driver can dish it just as well as he can take it, without letting the outside noise affect his performance too much. After failing to make the playoffs last year, the driver will want to hit the ground running this year, starting with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray.

Now and then, Wallace blows off steam by addressing his haters on social media. That’s exactly what happened ahead of the pre-season opener, and the witty tweet prompted the NASCAR community to surprisingly shower an outpour of support to the racing driver.

Wallace’s brutal response was long overdue

If there’s one venue that still has old-school NASCAR vibes, it’s the Bowman Gray Stadium. The quarter-mile short track has returned to the Cup Series for the first time since 1971, taking the sport back to its roots for the pre-season opener. While drivers were hitting the track for heat races ahead of the Cook Out Clash, the excitement was at an all-time high in the stands as fans returned to one of the country’s oldest tracks after more than half a century.

Practice times were being used to set the lineup for the four heat races, and the top five drivers from each of the four events will advance to the Cook Out Clash. Bubba Wallace finished fourth in Heat Race 2 and will be joining his 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick at the main event, starting in 14th place. The No. 23 Toyota driver saw a picture on social media, where a fan was showing him the middle finger while he was busy competing on the racetrack. In response, the Alabama native tweeted, “I’m gonna guess more fingers than teeth on that cat”.

Given his reputation, it was inevitable that Bubba Wallace would respond to the unruly fan with a witty comeback of his own. The racer had taken a break from social media last year to improve his mental health, but after a brief hiatus, it seems like the 23XI Racing driver has come back all guns blazing and is leaving no prisoners. While the majority of fans loved his response, others continued trolling Wallace for his lack of race wins, as his last Cup Series triumph came at Kansas Speedway in 2022.

Bubba Wallace is the kind of driver many fans love to hate. Statistically, 2024 was the racer’s best Cup Series season, even though he failed to point his way into the playoffs. Despite the evident improvement in his performances, fans have used his relative underperformance to compare him to  Tyler Reddick,  who made it to the Championship 4 with the same equipment. However, it seems like the 31-year-old has won over some of the hearts in the NASCAR community, as many expressed their support towards the racer after he called the unruly fan out.

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Fans back Bubba Wallace amidst hate

In an unexpected turn of events, NASCAR fans surprisingly expressed support for Bubba Wallace after the driver called out the unruly fan on social media. The 23XI racer has been subjected to plenty of hate in his career so far, and it was refreshing to see the majority of comments shared kind words for the Alabama native. Questioning the fan’s literacy, a motorsports enthusiast wrote, “That man would be very hurt if he could read 😭😭😭”. Another X user loved seeing the racer stand up for himself and went on to say, “Yesssss!!!! Love it Bubba.”

Wallace secured six top-five results in 2024 but failed to make it to the postseason despite making a desperate push towards the end of the regular campaign. Expressing support for the races ahead, a NASCAR fan said, “I’m really hoping lady luck is on your side this season…” While social media amplifies the negativity that may exist in certain sections of the fanbase, one fan urged the driver to focus on his results and not let the outspoken minority get to him. The fan wrote, “Tell em Bubba. Go get those wins this year. There’s more us behind you than against you.”

Another motorsports enthusiast couldn’t help but compliment Bubba Wallace’s witty comeback, and went on to write, “LMAOOOOO BUBBA I LOVE YOU OWN THAT CLOWN 💀💀💀”. It’s good to see the Alabama native stand up to his haters on a public platform and get support from the majority of the fanbase. Now all he needs to do is let his results do the talking to silence his critics once and for all. What better way to do that than to secure an early victory in the Cup Series and a deep playoff run?