“The son of a b—- qualified 11th at Indianapolis on an oval. He’s figuring it out,” said Bubba Wallace in the Brickyard 400 post-race interview, praising Shane van Gisbergen’s weekend. The Kiwi had posted a jaw-dropping qualifying run on the very oval that has long been his kryptonite. So, is SVG getting better with ovals after several analysts raised questions about it? Well, his qualifying run at Loudon might be some hint. But how does it prove threatening to Wallace? Well, let’s find out…

At the summer shootout finale in North Carolina, SVG made a statement that nobody saw coming: his first-ever pavement win in a Pro Legends A-feature. Starting from third on the grid, SVG duked it out over 25 intense laps, finally nabbing the checkered flag by just 0.417 seconds. Fellow Kiwi and competitor Scott McLaughlin finished ninth, but all eyes were on SVG as he cemented himself as a rising threat on ovals. Wallace, ever the fan of his friend’s exploits, didn’t hold back his praise, saying, “It was cool to see SVG win here.”

Fast forward to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and their friendship has taken a playful turn. Bubba Wallace revealed a cheeky bet over text on X from SVG: “’If you (SVG) ever out qualify me on an oval, I’m retiring.’” So, what happened exactly? SVG, piloting his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, laid down a blistering qualifying lap of 29.409 seconds to start 10th, while Bubba Wallace in his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota slotted 14th with a 29.485-second lap. And then came Wallace’s caption: “Ole bloke out-qualified me now I gotta retire @shanevg97″

Practice, however, had hinted at a different story. Wallace had clocked in at 29.941 seconds, the seventh fastest at the time, while SVG struggled at 30.151, only the 28th fastest. Yet when it counted the most, SVG delivered, proving once again that he could rise to the occasion, even if the numbers and practice suggested otherwise. But none of that matters to SVG’s playoff run, which took a big hit last weekend.

SVG’s playoffs have been a rollercoaster. Those challenges started at Darlington. Persistent handling problems made it up for him to maintain competitive lap times, leaving him frustrated and struggling to find a strong result, ultimately finishing 32nd. Gateway offered him little reprieve; a spin on lap 156 in the pit lane and a speeding penalty during the final stops dropped him to the back of the lead lap, and although he clawed back slightly, he finished 25th.

These setbacks highlighted the difficulties Shane van Gisbergen faced in adapting to NASCAR ovals. At Bristol Motor Speedway, SVG faced a particularly tough race. He qualified 28th and encountered difficulties on the track, including two spins during the 500-lap night race, which contributed to his finishing three laps down in 26th place, which was insufficient to advance him to the next playoff round. In the aftermath of the playoff exit, SVG took full responsibility for his performance.

He expressed a mix of pride and frustration, acknowledging the privilege of competing at this level but also recognizing his shortcomings. He said, “Yeah, I’m happy but frustrated. It’s a privilege to be here, but also pissed at myself. The last few weeks, I just haven’t been good enough. I’ve been really doing well, getting better at ovals … I blame myself at the moment, but thanks to the Trackhouse team, we’ve had an awesome year and still not over yet, but I need to be better myself, and it’s just going to come with time.”

Despite the playoff setback, the New Zealander remains optimistic about his future in NASCAR. But as of now, his dear friend Bubba Wallace is the one whose playoff hopes hang in the balance.

Bubba Wallace gets real about his bold mindset ahead of Loudon

It is survival for Bubba Wallace. The No. 23 team is gearing up for a high-stakes showdown in Sunday’s 301-lap Mobil 1 event at Loudon, where every single point could make or break its playoff dreams. Wallace will kick things off from 14th on the grid, just outside the top tier, but ready to fight his way forward. Meanwhile, his 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick flexed some speed, earning a solid fourth-place start and staking his claim as another key contender in the playoff frenzy.

With playoff survival hanging by a thread, Wallace opened up about his mindset and is dialing in for this do-or-die round. He said, “I think you gotta intensify a little bit more, you know. We’re in by one or two, whatever it is. And so it’s going to take, it takes everything. The last round took everything as well, but it’s more defined on this one, I would say. So, yeah, but I think the base hits mentality is just don’t let the highs get too high, lows get too low. Just go out and lap by lap, make the right moves, let the little stuff go to focus on the big stuff later.”

Last week at Bristol Speedway, Wallace had a setback with a crash, yet still clawed his way to a top 10 finish in both stages. Those efforts have kept him teetering eighth in the playoff standings, just a single point above the cut line and lurking right behind Chase Elliott. Reddick isn’t in any calmer waters; he sits 12th, three points below the elimination threshold, making every lap a heart-pounding battle.

Amid Freddie Kraft, Wallace’s spotter, casting doubts on the No.23 driver’s Roval stint to reach the Round of 8, this is a high-pressure playoff environment. Every move, every overtake, and every second on the track could be the difference between survival and elimination, a test of focus, grit, and pure racing passion.