NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, once said, “You can’t let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.” Truer words were never spoken. Richmond Raceway had moments that ranged from pleasant surprises to paying tributes. One such moment is about 23XI Racing team which accommodates a driver, who, despite not winning the trophy, has won the hearts of many.

Bubba Wallace is symbolic of team spirit in NASCAR. Despite repeated mishaps down the pit lane or the pressure of driving for an NBA legend, nothing seemed to distract him when he was behind the wheel of his Toyota at Richmond.

Former crew chief of Hendrick Motorsports flattered Bubba

Next Gen cars have created a somewhat level-playing field. So, it becomes incredibly difficult for the drivers to make room for outright domination. This means that it all comes down to the correct attitude and strategy.

Bubba Wallace has the attitude part in control. In a recent conversation with Jeff Burton and Rick Allen of NBC, an HMS icon showered praises on the man. Allen asked, “Only four races still to go… who advanced or who went down? Who had a positive or negative day that really stood out to you?”?

To which, Steve Letarte replied, “No team had a bigger day in my mind even with the win of Chris Buescher, who I think was going to get through on points anyway, the #23 of Bubba Wallace. A monster day for multiple reasons!”

Letarte did not even stress the fact that the team earned 27 solid points after the race at Richmond. Something else about Bubba impressed him. And he did not hold back on talking about it.

“What I’m talking about is a driver that I think has been judged on the big moments, judged on the big stages. Didn’t close the deal at Talladega. We’ve seen some issues in qualifying; not at Richmond,” he said.

Without even taking a break to breathe, Letarte exclaimed, “The playoffs are in front of them, the pressure of driving for Michael Jordan is upon him and yet he drives to the lead. Then there’s a slow pit stop! Another mental challenge for a race car driver, but who’s the biggest cheerleader? Bubba Wallace!”

“I now believe he is a playoff-bound driver,” added Letarte confidently.

Social media is on the rave about Bubbe. The majority opined that had his crew not failed to change the tires of his car efficiently, it could have been Bubba’s day. To err is humane, and Bubba has not blamed his team: The stuff that champions are made of.

Watch this story: Bubba Wallace Exposes the Biggest Problem With Michael Jordan?s 23XI Racing Team

However, he seemed a little frustrated with someone else.

Bubba Wallace was not happy with his team’s co-owner

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Despite leading the track for a whopping 80 laps and gaining an extra 16 points with top 5 finishes in both stages, his day did not get the closure that it deserved. Although he did not blame his team, he seemed to be a bit unhappy about the way the #11 raced him.

All the Toyotas were super-fast throughout almost the entire race. Stage 1 witnessed Tyler Reddick grab the stage win, with Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace close behind. But things turned southwards during the final stage. Hamlin, being competitive as ever, seemed to not have given even an inch to his driver.

Although there is no official footage of what Bubba said about his boss, according to a video by NASCAR Offtrack, NBC Sports said that Wallace was not too happy with how Hamlin raced him.

With just 5 races to go till the playoffs begin, nobody can blame the Joe Gibbs Racing driver for racing hard. Moreover, he himself has declared to have embraced the villain arc and is not letting a soft pass to anyone out there on the track. With just 4 races to go, all eyes are on the Michigan International Speedway.

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