Until the dust settled at Bristol, no NASCAR pundit had Bubba Wallace in their cards for the elite top-12, and it was a given that Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. had their tickets punched. Though Martin Truex Jr. managed to dance through the raindrops into the next round, Lady Luck turned her back on Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, setting the stage for Bubba Wallace’s golden opportunity.
Yet, amidst the storm of criticism raining down on Wallace for capitalizing on other drivers’ slip-ups, racing icon Kenny Wallace has thrown his hat in the ring to shield Michael Jordan’s protege. He serves up a slice of humble pie to detractors, highlighting that Wallace’s progress isn’t merely riding on others’ misfortunes while subtly pointing a finger at Martin Truex Jr.‘s track record.
Kenny Wallace tips his hat to Bubba Wallace for his recent stellar showing
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Barely recovering from the Daytona rollercoaster, even Bubba Wallace might’ve thought lightning wouldn’t strike twice so soon. But clinching a spot in the elite top 12 was, for him, akin to seizing the golden goose.
However, riding on the coattails of other drivers’ mishaps has landed him in hot water, with critics taking shots left, right, and center. Stepping into the fray, Kenny Wallace, armed with cold, hard stats, recently mounted a defense for Bubba in his latest YouTube video, underscoring his accomplishments.
Pointing to the Bristol leaderboard, he emphasized, “Bubba finished 14th, but behind him is Tyler Reddick, who won the race a week before, Martin Truex down there, 19th, Kyle Busch. So just as soon as you go 14 thing, good. This is the biggest series in the world, and you got Bubba Wallace in 14, and he outruns Martin Truex, Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez, and Ross Chastain. If you can finish in the top-20 in the Cup, you are big time. That?s how hard it is now with these next-gen cars being the same.”
Highlighting the fact that while the season’s superstar, Martin Truex Jr., lagged at 19th, Bubba steered clear to 14th, Kenny Wallace silenced the naysayers taking jabs at the 23XI racer. For Bubba, the race might’ve had his heart pounding harder than even the regular season’s climactic showdown at Daytona, as admitted by the 23XI driver as well.
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Despite battling a car that wouldn’t steer his way, Wallace clinched the 14th spot
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As per autoweek.com, drained, Bubba Wallace found a moment’s respite next to his steed on pit road, taking a swig of water and soaking in a moment many naysayers believed was out of his reach. 23XI Racing’s knight in shining armor rallied from a 19-point deficit, paving his way into the NASCAR Cup playoffs’ Round of 12.
Though Wallace pinpointed his Toyota’s stubborn front end as a hiccup, he managed to rise briefly before the weight of the race brought him back to the pit road’s asphalt. Mustering up some energy, he reflected, “I thought Daytona was hard (the penultimate race of the regular season), but Bristol was intense. We were certainly seen by many as trying too hard and making blunders, but the contrary was really true. This day is unique. I must treasure it and resist becoming complacent.”
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Now, with the backing of racing royalty like Kenny Wallace, the pressure’s on for Bubba to rise to the occasion in the upcoming races.
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