Folks, Bubba Wallace has come a long way from running midgets as a kid to becoming the winningest black driver in NASCAR. And folks, Wallace has been pretty vocal on being the lone black driver in NASCAR, and he understands the gravity of his voice in the sport. But still, the 23XI Racing driver doesn’t care much about the differences. As he knows at the end of the day, 23XI Racing owner Michael Jordan “wants winning race cars, he wants a winning race driver, and (that’s why) he took an opportunity to invest” in Wallace.

Time and again, Wallace has spoken about getting a lot of hate on social media. That’s one reason he spends very little time being online. His goal is to win races and, hopefully, one day, win a championship. Meanwhile, the #23 driver is aware the haters will stay; they have been there since day one. However, Wallace has always (well, mostly) stirred clear of controversy, all thanks to his mother.

Bubba Wallace doesn’t let anything affect him!

In the 2021 Talladega race, Wallace became only the second black driver to win a Cup Series race in NASCAR’s history. The first one was Wendell Scott, who won one back in 1963. And Wallace’s victory meant a lot, as it set an example. Remember his words after that victory? A teary-eyed Wallace had said, “This is for all the kids out there that want to have an opportunity and whatever they want to achieve, and be the best at what they want to do. You’re going to go through a lot of bul—-. But you always got to stick true to your path and not let the nonsense get to you.”

And it’s no secret that Wallace faced hardships; he’s not the most loved driver in the garage. And Bubba Wallace is often asked the question of whether he faced racism climbing the ranks in NASCAR. Answering this at ‘the Breakfast Club’ show, he credited his mother for being away from all of it.“Honestly, both my parents, but my mom was my driving force behind just never giving the media any negative to talk about. Well, I failed at that a couple of times, but she was always just keeping me aware of the said scenarios.” 

Also, Wallace is only half black; his father is businessman Darrell Wallace Senior. Seeing both sides has made Bubba not care about all the hate. “For me, though, I grew up in a well-diverse community and didn’t see color—still don’t—and it just didn’t matter to me. So when I jumped into it, there was, I think, two of us that were of color. Benny Mingo… he actually works at our race shop now, so it’s crazy how he works on our race cars. But it was just the two of us, and it didn’t bother me one bit.” And Wallace has always been of the belief that his performance in NASCAR matters the most above everything else.

And year-on-year, he has proved himself. 23XI Racing came into his life at the perfect time. If you recall, Wallace was struggling to find his footing with Richard Petty Motorsports. And in the three years with them, he couldn’t even finish a single season in the top 20. Then, in 2021, he got the #23 ride, and things changed. He got his first win, followed by a second one in 2022, and then in 2023, he made it to the playoffs, finishing the season in P10. And then 2024 was the best season for him to date, getting 6 top 5s and 14 top 10s. And the way the current one is going, he might even better it. Seven races in, Wallace has won the Daytona Duel and recently got back-to-back P3 finishes.

But he needs more wins, and it seems like they are coming. Especially since he’s got a secret weapon this season.

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Bubba Wallace is working well with his new crew chief

Kevin Harvick recently spoke on his podcast about it. He said, “You can put that right to Bubba Wallace. I know we’re going to talk about him, another great run from Bubba this weekend. Fast in practice, fast in all the averages, in contention at the front of the field again. So when I did the interview with Bubba this week that we’ll have on Thursday, it is the exact same thing. You have to be able to find the details, put the work in, do the things that it takes, and that’s what Bubba talked about with Charles.”

Charles Denike was Christian Eckes’s crew chief in the Truck Series last season. The duo won four races in the season, bagging 15 top 5s, the most by any driver in the season. And they also made the championship 4, finally finishing the season in P3. And Denny Hamlin was a big Denike fan, he wanted him for Wallace in the Cup Series. And when the announcement was made to replace Bootie Baker, many were skeptical, but Hamlin remained confident.

And now we can see the results. Wallace is currently P8 in the standings behind teammate Tyler Reddick in P7. Hamlin recently said, “They’re running like the 45 (Tyler Reddick’s team) during the summer. I told you guys that the new crew chief (Denike) was going to be a game-changer over there. He’s getting the most out of Bubba.” But the credit is not just of Denike, Wallace, over the seasons has perfected his craft to put himself in positions to win. And with already 98 laps led in the season, that first win is just around the corner.

What do you think, folks? Can Bubba Wallace win in this season, ending that 86-race winless streak? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.