Kevin Harvick Declares Brickyard 400 Win Has Put ‘More Pressure’ on Bubba Wallace

Ex-NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has explained the pressure that is on Bubba Wallace’s shoulders after Indy win.

Kevin Harvick Declares Brickyard 400 Win Has Put ‘More Pressure’ on Bubba Wallace

Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace (images via IMAGO)

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The NASCAR Cup Series race last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway watched history in making, as 23XI Racing Bubba Wallace become the first black driver since F1 champion Lewis Hamilton to win at the iconic venue. He secured a playoff spot, ending 100 race winless streak and according to 2014 Cup winner Kevin Harvick has invited more pressure.

In the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on the No:23 Toyota Camry driver getting back on the victory lane. The win didn’t surprise the ex-SHR driver much, as Bubba Wallace showed impressive speed in the first two months of the season before his form dropped, showcasing his capabilities.  

I think the capability of speed is there. We saw it at the beginning of the season. They’ve had flashes from the first seven or eight races in between now and then. But they hadn’t been that same team that we saw the first six or seven weeks.

Kevin Harvick said via Happy Hour podcast.

The biggest thing that has been affecting Bubba Wallace as a driver throughout his career has been the lack of consistency. Kevin Harvick highlighted that the TRD driver should learn from the likes of William Byron and Christopher Bell, two drivers who often finishes inside the top 10 regardless of how tough the race day has been, figuring out ways to be fast on the track.

That’s the trick. How do you do it every week? We talk about William Bryon, we talk about Christopher Bell a lot, those guys that can’t seem to put together a whole season to be consistently fast or figuring things out to get finishes week after week after week.

Kevin Harvick asserted.

So, with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway win in his bag, according to Kevin Harvick the pressure is now on the shoulders of Bubba Wallace as everyone has more expectations of him of being factor in the fight for wins in the coming weeks. Now with the playoff is close, the No:23 team has to level up their overall game and continue to perform on a high level.

And now, that’s on Bubba and his team. It goes from one pressure to another. The expectation, and they have it too, is to win.

Kevin Harvick asserted.

Kevin Harvick shares the emotional factor behind Bubba Wallace’s win

The ex-Richard Childress Racing driver then went on to explain how becoming a father has changed the whole racing approach of Bubba Wallace. It has been one of the biggest talking points since the start of the 2025 season about the star driver, as he consistently produced solid runs earlier in the season.

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick (Via @SPEEDSPORT/X)

Kevin Harvick had a conversation about the same factor with the 23XI Racing driver after the race week. He revealed that he told Wallace that he told Wallace how having his son Becks has made him more emotional and how the victory lane visit with his son made the victory more special than any of his previous Cup wins.

But I think a lot of the emotion was relief for him getting back to Victory Lane but having his son there. When I talked to Bubba this morning, I said, ‘Man, there is nothing like winning the first time when you have your child there in Victory Lane.’ It’s different. Who you are as a person is different. How you react, your emotions — everything is different.

Kevin Harvick said.

Bubba Wallace needs to step up his game in the coming races, taking inspiration from the emotional win and using the momentum to his advantage. It would be interesting to see how the last 14 races of the season are going to playout for the star driver.

Also Read: Denny Hamlin Brands Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 as The “Next Step for 23XI racing”