‘I don’t know if there’s anybody better to help digest this new car,’ Bubba Wallace on benefits of having Kurt Busch as his teammate in 2022

‘I don’t know if there’s anybody better to help digest this new car,’ Bubba Wallace on benefits of having Kurt Busch as his teammate in 2022

Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch

Bubba Wallace’s debut season for 23XI Racing in 2021 was of mixed feeling as he was able to secure his and the team’s first Cup Series race win, at Talladega alongside some inconsistent runs throughout.

Veteran and former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch joined Bubba Wallace for the 2022 season in the offseason. NASCAR pundits and fans were quick to point out that having some as experienced as Kurt Busch will be beneficial to the 24 years old Bubba Wallace. Now Bubba Wallace has come expressing his opinion on how having Kurt Busch will be advantageous to him.

Find out what Bubba Wallace said

Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace was quick to admit how much he appreciated his teammate Kurt Busch doing things systematically pointing out the instance where he was suggested by Kurt to watch the clash at the colosseum practice in the trailer in the DVR. Bubba Wallace went on to say, Kurt Busch usually checks every detail on teams and drivers’ performance after sessions to make sure that nothing is left untouched.   

“Seeing how methodical Kurt is about everything. Just from being at the Clash two weeks ago — ‘Hey, we need to get the DVR up and running in the trailer so we can go back and watch practice’ — is like something I never even thought about,” Bubba Wallace said.

“Just the little things. Like he wants to go back and check off every detail and to make sure that we’re not leaving a stone unturned as far as driver performance and team performance. And that’s like, alright, yeah, that’s smart,” Bubba Wallace added.

Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace with the NASCAR drivers and crew

Bubba Wallace added that having Kurt Busch around the team with the experience and knowledge of the sport he possesses, pushes everyone to be better. Bubba Wallace added that champion Kurt Busch is the best teammate he can hope for to understand the new Next-Gen car better to achieve their goals.

“Just seeing how he is around the team, and how he’s pushing everybody to be better and to think about different avenues and what he did in the past with different manufacturers. It’s big to have that experience and that wealth of knowledge. I mean, hell, he’s a champion for a reason,” says Bubba Wallace.

“He’s been around this sport for a long time and he’s always seemed to get the job done every year. And so, coming over in this new car, I don’t know if there’s anybody better to help digest this new car to get it to where we need it,” Bubba Wallace explained.

Having Kurt Busch as his teammate means Bubba Wallace should step up his game and be more consistent as having Kurt Busch, who secured 14 top-10 contrary to Wallace’s 3, as a teacher and competitor will be a huge challenge for him.

Also read: Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson tipped to race in 2022 Indy 500