The 23XI driver has a reputation for trying too hard and being affected by poor runs in the past. However, with the turn of the 2024 season, Bubba Wallace has learned an important trade of NASCAR racing. One that has worked a charm for him in the first nine races.

Since the start, the driver has registered three top 5 and a top 10 finish, a feat he has never managed in his Cup Series campaign. He’s not always had his way this season. There has been trouble on the pit road and some off days. But the attitude of being persistent has done the charms for him.

Bubba Wallace reveals the big change he has made this season

The race at Texas Motor Speedway was chaotic; there were several cautions and restarts, causing big shuffles in the track positions. During the start of the final stage, the #23 car was running up front and had a huge advantage, but his car got loose after contact with the #14 car of Chase Briscoe. Fortunately, despite spinning out, he managed to steer clear of the traffic and fought for the rest of the race.

However, he stayed level-headed and waited for the right opportunity, which came with the late restart just ahead of the overtime finish. In the end, he managed a 7th place finish in a race he did not run well. This was just the recurring theme of what the No. 23 team has been trying the entire season, and so far it has yielded their best-ever start. Speaking with Corey LaJoie on his podcast, Wallace said, “I think it’s one of the big things I learned, like, even as rough as days can get, you can’t give up, right?”

He further stated the importance of this mentality that has been embedded in his team. “So you just never give up as rough as the days are, our guys we know that. If we have bad days on pit road or if I make a dumb call on racetrack or we just don’t have a good car, like, none of us ever gave up, and so that’s what you need, and then it starts to kind of stack up.”

Considering that the 30-year-old is the only black driver competing in the premier stock car racing series, he feels that he has a point to prove.

Wallace has learned how to separate the outside noise and focus on his craft

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As harsh as it might sound, NASCAR isn’t an all-inclusive sport. There are efforts made by the governing body to bridge that gap, but Bubba Wallace is still the only black driver to race in its premier series. However, being the flag bearer for the change and being in the spotlight hasn’t always fared well for the driver, and only recently has he managed to shut out the outside noise and strive towards his goals.

“I was okay, I got to prove to everybody that I belong here. Thinking that the world is against me, everybody is out to get me, there may be some, but I don’t need to invest my time in that anymore. Trying to prove everybody right, the people that matter they know what’s right and wrong, and that’s helped me a lot from the mental side of it,” Wallace further added.

We have seen how persistence can pay off big time in the case of Chase Elliott, and given the run Wallace is on, it won’t be a surprise to see him get his first win of the season.