Bubba Wallace Gains Bold NASCAR Validation as Insider Challenges Doubters With Major Claim

Bubba Wallace is flipping the script, proving once and for all that respect isn’t just earned in Victory Lane but in how he handles the heat. With just three Cup Series wins in an eight-season-long career, it is no secret that he has served as an underdog in recent years. However, the narrative has changed this year. Amid a legal showdown between his team and NASCAR, Wallace demonstrates his unfazed and upper-deck-ready attitude, and more importantly, NASCAR insiders are sounding alarms about his potential.

The 2025 Cup Series has seen Bubba Wallace drive with undeniable resolve. Across 26 races, he clinched one win, the jewel-like Brickyard 400, and notched 10 top 10 finishes with four among the top five, while leading 260 laps and posting an average finish of 18.90. And that strong showing translates into playoff traction: Wallace enters seeded ninth, just two points above the cut line. It is his most competitive season yet, and his bid to shake off the past and stake his place in NASCAR’s top tier.

Moreover, when NASCAR insiders were debating how Wallace might approach the playoffs, they backed him big time. Speaking on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Spider didn’t hesitate to sound off on Wallace. He said, “Honestly, maybe. Yeah, I think this kind of highlights how good some of these guys have been in ways that I really haven’t considered. Rarely do I see data on, you know, passing stats or even pick crews ranked like this. So, I do think there is some value to this. My takeaway would just be, ‘Wow, some of these guys are better than I thought.’ And I think no one amplifies that more than Bubba.” 

It is more than commentary; it is a recognition that he is making everyone rethink their assumptions. This year, Bubba Wallace has returned to the playoffs after missing out the previous year, marking a powerful comeback in his career trajectory. He punched his ticket to the postseason with the epic Brickyard 400 triumph. Along the way, he has also become the first black driver to win a Cup Series crown jewel race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, after a tenuous 18-minute rain delay, two overtimes, fears about running out of fuel late, and the hard-charging defending race champ, Kyle Larson, on back-to-back restarts.

And then came the most important question. When Quigs asked about who the other co-host thought was the best driver that never really wins, the majority agreed that Wallace would be the top pick for that. While others debated among themselves about Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric, Quigs held his ground on Wallace and said, “But yeah, like I was shocked. Like, I know Bubba didn’t have a ton of wins, but when he won that last time and it was the first time he ever won in the regular season, I was like, ‘Yeah, he just feels like such a better driver than that to me when I watch him, and feels like a guy that any week wouldn’t be a bad gambling pick to be like, he could maybe get it done here.'”

Wallace qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the first time in his career during the 2023 season after a 12th-place finish at Daytona, securing the final spot in the round of 16. He advanced past the first round but was eliminated in the round of 12. Last year, Wallace narrowly missed making the playoffs. Despite a strong showing, securing the pole for the Southern 500 and leading multiple laps, he was eliminated due to a late-race crash and ultimately failed to qualify for the postseason.

The 31-year-old has been behind the stock car full-time since 2018 and has racked up three wins -Talladega in 2021, his 1st Cup win, followed by Kansas in 2022, and now in 2025, his Brickyard 400 win snapped a 100-race drought since his last victory, proving this moment wasn’t just big, it was overdue. And now with that narrative flipped this year, Wallace is definitely going to capitalize on the opportunity while competing with 15 other strong drivers. With new and shocking revelations about his team, 23XI Racing, Wallace has doubled down on his stance.

Bubba Wallace has no issues with the ongoing 23XI Racing charter dispute

Bubba Wallace doesn’t appear to have any problems with NASCAR, even though his team, 23XI Racing, is currently involved in a lawsuit against the sanctioning body. Speaking at the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day, Wallace was asked whether he felt 23XI was being treated fairly amid the ongoing legal dispute.

Wallace replied calmly, “No issues. I have not had anything.” His remarks were those of NASCAR driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, who was asked the same question during media day. Both drivers expressed confidence in their standing with NASCAR as they head into the playoffs, which kick off Sunday at Darlington. The antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR has seen multiple developments since it was first submitted last October. The latest step was when the court ruled on the team’s preliminary injunction request.

In preparation for the hearing, the teams have filed two new documents. The first specifies exactly what they want the injunction to achieve, detailing their request should the court rule in their favor. The second is a reply in further support of their motion, laying out their reasoning for why the injunction should be granted. In short, one filing outlines the demands, while the other presents the evidence supporting those demands.

But for now, the focus for the fans is solely on Darlington for some playoff action. Wallace is determined to make it past the first round this time around. Do you think he can do it?