“We were in Spanish class in high school, and we sat near each other,” Amanda Carter revealed. Decades ago, it was a class in school that brought Bubba Wallace and Amanda together, and they have taken on so much together. Ever since Becks Hayden came into their lives, the couple turned a new page in their story. “Amanda and I would like to introduce you to Becks Hayden! 9 months of waiting on this little guy, he’s made it all worth it! So excited for this journey!” Wallace wrote on Instagram, his excitement radiating through the post.

For any first-time parent, life takes on a whole new meaning. Sleepless nights, early morning feedings, and that overwhelming feeling of responsibility—fatherhood changes everything. But it also brings clarity, a new sense of purpose, and a motivation unlike anything else. Many athletes have spoken about how becoming a parent reshaped their careers, grounding them and pushing them to be better.

For Wallace, 2025 has marked a noticeable shift in his approach both on and off the track. His focus is sharper, his mindset more composed, and his performances reflect it. He’s no longer just racing for himself, there’s a little one watching now. And while wins have remained elusive, there’s something different about Bubba Wallace this season.

Bubba Wallace’s 2025 season has been one of quiet but steady transformation, and NASCAR insiders have picked up on that. Jeff Gluck, during an episode of The Teardown, shared his observations. “Today we talked about Bubba Wallace um the 56 laps led today was his most since Texas 2023. He obviously has not won since September 2022. But this has been a good year for Bubba overall. He’s talked about bringing a different mindset to the track. He is seventh in the point standings right now. Both 23XI drivers are in the top seven in points so he’s kind of doing what he needs to do. Bubba was carrying the banner for 23XI. Did you see Bubba also told his team on the last lap that he had a tire going down to prank them. It was a joke just to scare them.” 

Gluck isn’t wrong. Watching Wallace take the lead in the final stage and create a gap to the rest of the field was a fresh side to the 23XI driver, but that’s not all. His third-place finish at Homestead has put him in a position he’s never been before. Compared to his position in the standings at this point, Wallace has never been higher than 18th in the standings since moving to the Cup Series 2018! If he keeps this up, he could be on his way to making the playoffs for the second time in his career. Back in 2023, when he made the playoffs, his qualification was only at the regular season finale in Daytona.

Wallace’s ability to shake off setbacks has also improved. In the past, a frustrating moment could derail his entire race or the upcoming races. One example came at the Las Vegas race in 2022. Bubba Wallace hit Kyle Larson in the right rear quarter panel in retaliation for a move by Larson, which forced Wallace to brush the wall coming out of turn 4. Moreover, after exiting his car, Wallace headed toward Larson and began shoving him. This led to a one-race suspension for Wallace.

But at the Miami event, he handled adversity differently. “There was a restart there where Logano and Gregson kind of got into the 23 car and Bubba got a little fight – got pushed into the wall and got fired up for like a quick second, right? But then he quickly came back down,” Jordan Bianchi pointed out. Instead of dwelling on the incident, Wallace regrouped and continued racing strong. Even Blaney took a moment to appreciate the battle on the track. “We lost a little bit of track position there with some stuff on pit road, but got back to third and it was a great race between me and Bubba and Larson.”

The change fatherhood has brought is clear. Wallace explained, “We were just talking, wife [Amanda], there you seen it talking about the baby and talking about something else, and it’s crazy how you have to compartmentalize things, so it’s cool.”

His teammate, Tyler Reddick has seen this change and he’s all for it. “Fatherhood will change you in ways you don’t expect. I think he’s got a good approach right now and am excited to see how he continues to grow and change at being a dad and how that affects racing for him. He seems like he’s in a good place right now.”

But Reddick isn’t the only one recognizing Wallace’s work.

Bubba Wallace gets heaps of praise from 23XI Racing

After his Homestead-Miami performance, nothing short of glowing words would be enough for Wallace. He led the race, stayed competitive throughout, and kept his cool. Team owner Denny Hamlin was over the moon talking about Wallace’s partnership with Charles Denike. “We feel like we got a game changer there in Charles that is getting the best out of Bubba. Their cars are fast. I would contend the 23XI cars in general are just really fast, so I think they got really fast cars, and Bubba’s putting it together. He’s putting in the work, and obviously it’s showing with the results right now.”

Denike knew the stakes were high coming into the season. Wallace already had the rest of the garage looking at him, wondering if he would get the boot after a poor 2024 season. With the contract renewal, fatherhood, and a new crew chief in his corner, Wallace is performing and Denike is pushing for more. “One of our big goals was just get through five races without being at a deficit in points, without putting ourselves in a position where we have to change the way we want to operate on a weekly basis,” Denike explained.

While his team celebrated his work on the track, Wallace just wanted to have some fun. Poking fun at Bowman losing the lead to Larson, Wallace had a simple line for him. “I walked up to Bowman after and I said, ‘We both suck’. It is what it is. All in a good day.”