“I Was Like, ‘Dang, I’m Racing Against the 7-Time Champ’” – Bubba Wallace on Being Star-Struck When Facing Jimmie Johnson for the First Time

Bubba Wallace debuted in the Cup Series arena in 2017 and was seen as an up-and-coming driver. At that time, he made his debut at the Pocono Raceway and he confessed that the feeling really hit him hard. Even more daunting was when he realized that he was in a field that consisted of a legendary driver like Jimmie Johnson.

Wallace said, “That was my first car back at Pocono and knowing all the hype that was around racing against Jimmie Johnson. I came on the radio and I was, like, “Dang, I’m racing against the seven-time champ”. The African-American driver went on to finish 26th for Richard Petty Motorsports. Meanwhile, Johnson himself crashed out due to a brake failure and ended up 36th.

In his debut year, he competed at Michigan, Daytona, and Kentucky, with a best finish of 11th. A year later, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) recruited him on a full-time basis. Suffice to say, he rewarded their faith in him with an excellent 2nd place at the Daytona 500.

Bubba Wallace has grown as a driver since then

Beyond that, his performances have been up and down, with a handful of Top 10s in his career. Wallace secured 3rd at Indianapolis in 2019, 5th at Daytona in 2020, 5th at Pocono, and 2nd at Daytona in 2021.

Finally, his moment of crowning glory came at the Talladega Superspeedway in 2021. On home soil, Bubba Wallace took advantage of wrecks and inclement weather to win the race. Although the race was shortened, it did not take away his sublime performance during the event. In the process, he became the second African-American driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott.

Now, the 23XI Racing driver is looking forward to the 2022 Cup season and another year of improvement.

READ MORE: Bubba Wallace Narrates a Sad Tale – “They Always Said, You Know, You Win One, the Sponsors will Come.’ Well, I Won About Five or Six and the Sponsors Never Came”