“You Can’t Use That Excuse” – Bubba Wallace Reveals Brutal Reality Check After Michael Jordan & Denny Hamlin Formed $150 Million NASCAR Team

Transitions are often difficult. Especially when they come with self-reflection and a load full of doubt. But NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace made it happen. With his shift from Petty Motorsports to a newly found 23XI Racing, Wallace definitely has a lot to speak on the whole idea of transitioning and taking chances.

In episode 158 of ‘SHOWTIME Basketball’ on YouTube, Bubba Wallace opened up about his transition from Petty GMS to 23XI Racing. During the conversation, Wallace mentioned that while he was driving for the ‘King’ Richard Petty, things just did not click for him.

He explained that he sometimes used to get too competitive when the cars were not capable enough to do that. Whereas at other times, the cars were great, Wallace would fail as a driver to deliver great results. He further said that during his initial years, he found it quite difficult to register any top 10 finishes.

But then he talked about how his self-reflection forced him to take some chances. He said, “So, I looked at this opportunity at 23XI when MJ (Michael Jordan) and Denny (Hamlin) came together and decided to make this all happen. It was like okay you know this is a team that’s going to take let’s say a year to get our feet wet and get everything underneath us to go out and be competitive and go in races.”

However, transitioning teams did not make much of a difference. In fact, Wallace’s decision gave him a brutal reality check. In his conversation, Wallace explained that while their partner team, Joe Gibbs Racing’s other four cars were performing well, he was still unable to move up to the top 10.

READ MORE: NASCAR Legend Openly Calls Out Bubba Wallace’s Silence After Kyle Larson Incident Aftermath

He said, “Their cars are running one two three four and then I’m fifth running 20th. And it’s like dude you still don’t have it. Cars are the same now like you can’t use that excuse and things started to finally click at the end of last year (with) 10 races left.”

How did things ‘click’ for Bubba Wallace?

Bubba Wallace explained that he began to notice a steady improvement when the team brought in his new crew chief. He explained that now he was able to climb up to the thirteenth, fourteenth, or at least the fifteenth position. Furthermore, he said that his win at the Talladega Superspeedway was a huge moment for him and his team.

However, Wallace still wanted to do more. He said it felt like Talladega was still a ‘Plate race,’ as the tracks are quite wide. And hence, the racing experience there was completely different from the races at tracks like Las Vegas or Daytona.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Not Classy Whatsoever” – When a Rash Bubba Wallace Was Condemned By NASCAR for His Actions Against Hendrick Motorsports Driver

And now, after his second win at Kansas, Wallace shared that he is quite happy with where his team is right now. While talking about the team’s performance in the 2022 season, he said, “Two months ago, three months ago now we’ve been a top-five car every week. And it’s like ‘Okay, this is what the chemistry it takes.”