Bubba Wallace was the last driver to qualify for the 2023 NASCAR playoffs. His chances were hanging by a thread last month at the Daytona International Speedway. But finally, no new winner emerged and Bubba made it to the final 16. Once inside, a lot was expected from the 23XI Racing star. Unfortunately, his first playoff appearance was at one of the toughest tracks in America, Darlington Raceway, where the best the driver could do was a top 10.

While many drivers would kill for a result like that, Bubba was clearly not impressed with himself. As he appeared to be going down hard on himself after the race, former racer Kenny Wallace has reiterated faith in the star.

Kenny believes in Bubba Wallace more than the driver himself does

Going into the raceway on Sunday, Bubba must have expected himself to put up his best performance and score significant stage points at the very least. After a disappointing qualifier result that yielded him a P19 start, he made further mistakes early on in the race and sunk his chances at the goal. Fortunately, the strategies of his crew chief came to the rescue and he was able to salvage positions. Talking post-race, the driver was unhappy with the mistakes that he made and took his result as a learning experience more than an occasion for celebration.

But Kenny did not see any reason to criticize the driver or find a fault with his race. He said, “I know a lot of you love to pick on him. But Bubba Wallace, seventh. He’s shown up. I think he can go deep into these playoffs.”

After retiring from a NASCAR career that spanned multiple years, Kenny now runs a YouTube channel in which he provides insights into the happenings of the racing world.

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Bubba Wallace’s disappointment with his race at Darlington

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One of the first downfalls of Bubba in Darlington was his poor qualifying result. The P19 start could have very well been taken as a preview of the things to come. However, the driver started off the race with a strong stride on Sunday. The first hiccup of the race came during his 2nd pitstop when the crew’s air hose got caught in the front of his Toyota. Recovering from the mishap, he raced only to find trouble once again. As he neared the end of the first stage, he stumbled and got into contact with former champion Joey Logano. Caught in a spin, his positions sunk and all appeared lost for the 23XI Racing star.

Speaking of the contact to NBC Sports, Bubba said, “I’m not happy with myself. Apologies to Joey (Logano), apologies to AJ (Allmendinger). I think the important thing to learn here is to not make enemies race one when you’re in the playoffs because they make it hell so I deserve everything I got throughout the night. Just did not execute. Got to be better.”

However, the chaos at the end of stage 2 brought some fortunes along with it for Bubba. Following the instructions from Bootie Barker, his crew chief, he brought the car in as the caution waved. This let him continue on the track in the stage break that followed and he hopped spots quickly to enter the top 10. He remained there till the end of the race and came out at P7.

The top 10 finish lends him a hand in moving up the playoff grid. He currently stands 13th, moving up from 16th. Next up for him is the second race at the Kansas Speedway. Already having won at the track once before, he will hope to do so again with the optimism of Kenny Wallace’s words behind him. Let us know what you think of his chances for the Hollywood Casino 400 below!

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