“Crippling Pressure, Crippling Anxiety”: Kyle Petty Reveals Bubba Wallace’s Harsh Situation as He Overshadows Chase Elliott

Going into the final regular-season race in the 2023 Cup Series at Daytona, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was breaking a sweat. Wallace occupied the final playoff spot on the table but his qualification was uncertain. If anyone who hadn’t made it into the last 16 won at Daytona, Wallace would have lost his spot. Before the race, the pressure build-up was so much that the 29-year-old refused to speak to the media. After the race, the echoes of rising anxiety that he had endured since the IMS race reverberated loud and clear.

NASCAR insider Kyle Petty shared an insight into Wallace’s mindset in a recent episode of the NASCAR on NBC podcast with Nate Ryan. The former race car driver said that the pressure of securing qualification and being pitted against Chase Elliott by the media had put the 23XI Racing driver under crippling pressure and anxiety.

One of the toughest weeks of Bubba Wallace’s life

Petty started his argument by saying that the 2023 season was nothing but an aberration in Chase Elliott’s career. This was blown out of proportion by the media, eventually leading to people pitting him against Bubba Wallace to qualify for the playoffs at Daytona.

“Chase is a champion. Chase is a great race car driver. And Chase is going to continue to move the Hendrick organization forward. This is a blip on the radar, this is a small thing. But I think we tried to build it up and build it up and build it up until it was between him and Bubba,” Petty said.

Before the 2023 season, it was nearly unthinkable that the uber-talented Chase Elliott would not make it to the playoffs in the prime of his career. It was this mentality that eventually led everyone to believe that the battle for the final playoff spot was between Chase, who needed a win, and Bubba, who just had to hold on to the final playoff spot. According to Petty, this had a detrimental effect on both drivers, especially Bubba, who had everything to lose.

“I don’t know how either one of them got out of bed in the morning after watching the media and listening to us talk because it was crippling, crippling pressure, crippling anxiety and we were projecting all of our hopes and dreams on him,” Petty added.

Eventually, Chase Elliott failed to win at Daytona and Bubba Wallace fought off him and other challengers to hold on to that coveted playoff spot. The 29-year-old was relieved after the race as he said that it was the most stressed but also the most focused he had ever been.

Wallace uploaded a video on his X (formerly Twitter) handle where he was celebrating his qualification into the playoffs. The relief on his face is evident as he spends time with his loved ones and is looking forward to what’s to come.

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23XI Racing star rejoices after a stressful week

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“We’re locked in!” the 29-year-old exclaimed. “Playoff bound for the #23 team. So proud of the efforts. What a stressful week it’s been but excited to….just, man, what a day.”

While Bubba deserves credit for making it through to the playoffs after dealing with all the stress that came with it, it is important to note that things are only going to get tougher. Not being able to win a race so far into the season might be cause for concern and he doesn’t have that many playoff points to rely on to get through.

The 29-year-old might get through to the round of 12 but it is unlikely that he will be part of the final four given his form this year. How far do you think Wallace can go in the playoffs? Let us know below.

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