Bubba Wallace‘s first year in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is anything but a bed of roses. After qualifying for the coveted top-tier contention, the Alabama native felt elated. But alas, after last week’s race at Kansas, things started going southwards for the 23XI Racing driver. Being 19 points below the cutline, Bubba Wallace has to win the upcoming playoff race to get in. However, nobody can blame him for his bad luck.

After all, his tire blew up and his toe-link broke. With his car chief Zachary Marquardt ejected from the remainder of the weekend, accounting for a two-time pre-race inspection failure, Bubba Wallace must have felt utterly helpless. Besides, some fingers might point in the direction of Goodyear, which produces over 100,000 tires every year for all three series of NASCAR. Although Bubba Wallace did not blame anyone, he revealed what he actually might have needed to get a better finish.

With the leader of mechanics away from the scene, Bubba Wallace wished for chaos

Bubba Wallace was the only driver who missed the pit stall selection. There was nobody to assist him in terms of the car mechanism. Despite flaunting winning speed that almost got him a Stage 1 win, his right rear tire went flat on lap 108, dimming his chances of moving on to the round of 12s.

Amidst all misfortunes, Bubba Wallace wore a smile on his face and hoped for a better run at Bristol this weekend. While talking to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, he expressed his relief at having his car chief back in the team for Bristol. Although he was not sure if he would have gained a one-lap advantage had Marquardt been there, he definitely knew what could have put the odds for him at Kansas Speedway.

He referred to the multi-car pile-up at Talladega, back in 2015 during the Geico 500. On that note, he perhaps felt that a yellow flag and a restart might have helped Bubba regain his position in the pack. Perhaps he could have done better than a P7 finish.

“Our team did a really good job salvaging the day. We needed a big Talladega pile-up of 15 other playoff cars, but that didn’t happen,” he exclaimed.

Although most opine that Bubba Wallace needs to win the next race at Bristol Motor Speedway, a renowned journalist gave a rather different way of looking at the tight situation that Bubba Wallace is in.

A D?j? vu moment ruined

Trending

Martin Truex Jr. Urges Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Come Back for a Final Battle Despite His Off-Track Commitments

Dale Earnhardt Jr Skeptical About His New Found Partnership With Amazon as He Reminisces His Days With NBC

NASCAR Fans Back Kyle Busch’s Son’s Desperate Plea Amidst Denny Hamlin’s ‘Bad Luck’ Reluctance

NASCAR Ready to Break Up With $32+ Billion Worth Premier Partner After 15 Years of Service

“I’m Gonna Claw Someone’s Face Off”- Dale Jr.’s Wife Amy Reveals His Failure to ‘Read the Room’ Triggering Massive Rage Fit

Last year at Kansas, Bubba Wallace held off his boss Denny Hamlin to get his first win of the season and also the second win of his career. But this year, so many things went wrong for the African-American Toyota pilot.

Watch this story: Bubba Wallace Has Fans Roaring With Hilarious Gesture for ?Marathon Man? Best Friend

In a recent conversation with reporter Jordan Bianchi, The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck expressed how optimistic he was about Bubba Wallace prior to the race at Kansas. He said, “Bubba Wallace was probably gonna have, easily a top five run today; maybe top 3. Who knows, maybe better! His teammate (Tyler Reddick) won the race and he was ahead of his teammate. He was doing everything right, he won this race last year.”

While others feel like Bristol is a must-win for Bubba, Gluck does not think so. According to him, running steady throughout the race and gaining stage points would be enough.

“Get yourself within 15 points going into the last stage and then again, like Truex, you assume something is gonna happen to somebody ahead of you,” he explained.

However, he also stated that the situation was obviously not good to be in for Bubba.

Jordan agreed, saying, “It’s unfortunate, it sucks, but again, this is the format and sometimes you’re just a victim.”

Read more: NASCAR Insider Ruthlessly Declares Bubba Wallace Is Not Playoff Material