Bubba Wallace overcame questions and doubts to end 3-year drought with 1st Brickyard 400 win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bubba Wallace spent three long years questioning everything about his racing world.
During a 100-race winless streak, he saw teammate Tyler Reddick win five times and post three top 10 finishes in NASCAR's final standings. Wallace also watched team co-owner Denny Hamlin make regular trips to victory lane while still chasing his elusive Cup title.
The drought forced Wallace to contemplate what was wrong and whether he'd continue to be employed in racing — until he realized there was more to life than racing. Sunday's life-changing Brickyard 400 title only reinforced that notion.
'When Amanda and I first started dating, I was like 'Hey, racing everything, right?' I knew I made a mistake saying that,' Wallace said, referring to his wife Sunday night. 'It took me all these years to realize this isn't always going to be here. So I think it's better to enjoy moments like this, but nothing can overcome the joyful times you have with your family.'
Those aren't just empty words, either.
After celebrating with his crew, a jubilant Wallace hugged his wife and hoisted their 10-month-old son over his head, an image that may far outlive Wallace's reign as champion.
His second family, other Cup drivers, also embraced Wallace following the biggest victory of his career. By becoming the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's historic 2.5-mile oval, Wallace also locked up his second playoff appearance.
But long before Sunday, there were indications Wallace was turning things around.
After posting just six top five finishes and 12 top 10s in his first five Cup seasons, Wallace broke through with five top fives and 10 top 10s in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he had career bests of six top fives and 14 top 10s. And he won one pole in each of those three seasons, too. He also won two qualifying races leading up to this year's Daytona 500, though those wins don't count in the Cup's official stats.
Midway through last season, though, Hamlin noticed a change in Wallace.
'When I hired Bubba, I believed in his capability, not necessarily the results he had shown, but I understood his potential. And then there was a time where we were kind of wrestling with 'Do I want it worse than him? I can't make him want it,'" Hamlin said. 'It just seems like something happened mid last year — maybe related to having a child or whatever — but something happened where I saw a change in attitude that changed work for him.'
It was a new perspective on life.
Suddenly, Wallace had more to think about than just racing and it freed him up to alleviate some of the pressure he put on himself and the brutal self critiques.
'I'm a guy with a beautiful wife, a beautiful son and putting family first, that's all that matters and just fortunate enough to be driving race cars,' he said. 'That makes things easier, gives you something to kind of focus on, the racing stuff is kind of secondary now and you have to have a mental shift to say that.'
But the philosophical change was only part of the equation.
Crew chief Charles Denike, whose nine years in the U.S. Army showed him how to cope with pressure, added a calming influence on the radio. Wallace also started reading 'The Daily Stoic," a resource with exercises to help people cultivate wisdom and resilience.
Fatherhood changed things, too.
'I've got the family here,' he said. 'Beck's win, officially his first race, and see his dad do it — get to victory lane — that brings me a lot of joy. Amanda's here, we lost our grandmother Friday night, so it's just kind of been a special weekend for us. Our family's here in Indiana, so this is really cool to be able to do.'
Of course, Wallace still gets frustrated as he did Saturday when he missed capturing the Brickyard pole by a whisker in qualifying. But he managed to strike a balance between the disgust that used to seep in and the positivity of what he nearly accomplished.
And it made a difference on the track Sunday and potentially off of it in the near future.
'There's a certain level of expectation to win and so, not doing that for almost three years, you really start to doubt yourself and wonder 'Is this it after the contract's up? Is this it?'' he said. 'I've still got a couple of years left, so hopefully this gives another year at least.'
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
recommended
Item 1 of 3
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Miyu Yamashita wins Women's British Open, in photos
PORTHCAWL, Wales (AP) — Miyu Yamashita of Japan captured her first major title Sunday when she withstood a charge by Charley Hull by not making a bogey until the outcome of the Women's British Open was no longer in doubt. She closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory. This photo gallery curated by AP photo editors shows photo highlights from the Women's Golf British Open being played at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. ___ AP golf:
NBC Sports
4 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Iowa's yellow flags derail Brad Keselowski's chances to win, earn playoff spot
NEWTON, Iowa — The radio chatter between Brad Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins was lengthy at times during Sunday's Cup race at Iowa Speedway, but twice Keselowski finished their talks about strategy with succinct messages. 'Be aggressive, buddy,' Keselowski told Bullins at Lap 212 of the 350-lap race when Keselowski said he was fine with not pitting then. 'Jeremy, don't take this the wrong way,' Keselowski said during a caution at Lap 255, 'but I don't want to see you again.' Bullins, also noting he preferred not to pit then, responded: 'I'd prefer not to see you until this is over.' When they did see each other, it was after a chaotic race that saw seven cautions in the final stage, turning the event upside down. While Keselowski finished third — his third consecutive top-10 finish and fifth in the last seven races — it wasn't the victory he wanted. Or needed to make the playoffs with only three races left in the regular season. 'It's frustrating not to win,' Keselowski said in response to a question from NBC Sports, 'but I'm not frustrated at my team. I'm frustrated that we didn't catch the breaks we needed.' Instead, it was William Byron — who has twice run out of fuel at the end of races this summer — stretching his fuel to score his first victory since the Daytona 500. Nate Ryan, Yet, earlier in the race Byron was among those who were a lap down when a caution came out in the middle of a pit cycle. Byron was the first car a lap down and got the free pass. Then the series of cautions in the final stage put him on a trajectory to victory. Keselowski had one of the best cars, but not the fortune. He was told at Lap 204 that the team did not get as much fuel in the car as they wanted during a pit stop at Lap 172. That meant that Keselowski could only go to about Lap 250 — instead of at least another 20-25 laps. The discussion tuned to when to pit. Keselowski, who was leading, didn't want to give up track position. Passing was difficult. Once trapped in traffic, it was hard to emerge. So Keselowski stayed out until a caution for Zane Smith's accident and came to pit road at Lap 231. Keselowski was 26th before the restart. There would be five more cautions over the final 119 laps. Those cautions allowed others to make it to the finish on fuel, nullifying the advantage Keselowski had. 'Every yellow was bad for us,' Keselowski said. 'You get frustrated at the field for wrecking so much.' While under caution at Lap 273 for Ty Dillon's spin — the fourth caution in a 30-lap window —an annoyed Keselowski said on the radio: 'It would be nice to get to race here.' Byron took the lead on the ensuing restart and led the final 74 laps, while Keselowski chased him. After scoring no top-10 finishes in the first 12 races of the season, Keselowski has seven in the last 11 races. 'I wished things would have gone a little differently and we could have got the win, because, obviously we need it to get in the playoffs, but we've been capable of this all year,' Bullins said. ' … It's all starting to come together. There's no doubt in my mind that this team can win races and we're not done yet.' When the race was over, there wasn't much more for Keselowski to say. 'I know it stinks not to win,' he told his team on the radio. 'We did all the things we could do. It just didn't come to us.' Three-wide racing leads to a pair of spins and hot tempers during Stage 3 at Iowa Speedway.
NBC Sports
4 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Waldrep's whirlwind day: From a 4:45 a.m. wake-up to earning his first MLB win at a NASCAR venue
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Before Hurston Waldrep earned his first major league win by pitching at a NASCAR venue, it was only fair that his day included a lengthy drive. Waldrep was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett, then pitched 5 2/3 innings for Atlanta in the Braves' 4-2 win over Cincinnati in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. The game started Saturday but was suspended in the first inning because of rain. Waldrep was told that night he'd be pitching Sunday — and to expect a car service early in the morning. 'Wake up at 4:45, got in the car a little after 5, drove here with my girlfriend. Got here 9:45 or so. Everything since then, it's been nonstop,' Waldrep said. 'Didn't really have time to sit here and think about how it all happened. Nonetheless, grateful for it, happy to be here. It's been an unbelievable day.' It's about 250 miles from Gwinnett, Georgia, to Bristol — which would be over 450 laps around the track at Bristol. Waldrep said he tried to sleep on the ride up, but that wasn't easy. Since he didn't arrive until Sunday, he missed the fanfare of the previous day, but he was there for most of the baseball. 'It was really breathtaking to walk out, see how they set everything up, see the field, and just hearing from the players how last night went,' he said. 'It was all around just awesome.' Waldrep made his big league debut in 2024, starting two games for the Braves. This was his first big league appearance this year. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed a run and three hits. 'After I took him out, I was like, 'Everything we put you through today you've done your job,'' manager Brian Snitker said. 'He's made a lot of strides. I think his time in Triple-A has been really really good for him.'
