“Don’t get caught up in something stupid,” Bubba Wallace set his agenda for the regular-season finale at Daytona after Watkins Glen

Bubba Wallace was the second-best finishing driver in the playoff bubble, behind Ty Gibbs (P5).

“Don’t get caught up in something stupid,” Bubba Wallace set his agenda for the regular-season finale at Daytona after Watkins Glen

Bubba Wallace (Credits: RollingStone)

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace has pointed out that his plan for the 2023 regular season finale is simple. Stay out of trouble and race his won race to secure maiden Cup playoff entry. The Toyota driver currently occupies the final position in the last 16, with a 32 points advantage over his TRD teammate Ty Gibbs.

The P18 finish in Indy and Michael McDowell’s win at Indy placed him in a bad situation coming to the race. But the No:23 driver was fortunate as his close rivals, Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott, messed up their race while Gibbs failed to close the gap. Wallace secured a P12 finish on Sunday, the position he started the race.

While a finish outside the top 10 isn’t what Wallace envisioned, it was a good day for Michael Jordan’s driver. He must secure a solid finish at Daytona next weekend and doesn’t have to fight for the win. So he plans to stay out of trouble at the track, though he knows that Daytona is the perfect place for a new Cup race winner. He added that he enjoys thriving when his back is against the wall.

“I think we get fixated on Suarez … anybody can win Daytona. We just have to go and win. That’d be great. It’s not a must-win situation, but it can be. Look at [Austin Dillon’s] last year and what happened. We’re not safe by any means; it doesn’t matter who’s behind me in points,” Wallace said, as reported by the RACER.

“As long as we go and execute and run our own race and don’t get caught up in something stupid, we’ll be all right…I like when our backs are against the wall, and people are kind of writing us off,” he said. “We show up and deliver, so that’s something to be proud about,” Wallace added.

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Bubba Wallace credits Warrior crew chief Bootie Baker for his impressive run

Bubba Wallace Talladega 1
Bubba Wallace at Talladega (Credits: RACER)

Wallace quickly credits his crew chief, who has played a massive role in his two Cup race victories in the past, for their solid run on Sunday. He pointed out that Bootie Baker is a warrior who leads the troops to the battle, the all-out war, the Cup series, that starts in February and ends in November.

He went on to say that the grind mentality and leadership of his crew chief is a massive help for them. Wallace pointed out that the bossman is there to get him back up when he is down. For Wallace having someone like Baker is a blessing considering he is often too hard on himself.  

“He’s a warrior. He leads the troops to battle, gets you in the right mindset, and that’s what you need. This is an all-out war from the start of February to the start of November, and you have to just grind and to have that mentality, have that leadership, is a massive help for us and for me. So, at times, when I get down and out, he’s kind of there to get me right back in shape,” Wallace said.

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