Toyota GAZOO Racing – Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2025) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
What’s the conversations been like with the team to continue improving like you have over the last few years?
“I’m looking forward to this year. Unloading with speed, it’s hard to gauge the speed you have in practice like today when it’s single car stuff. For us, with Charles (Denike, crew chief) coming on board calling the shots for us is a different change of pace, a change of attitude, a change of twang in his voice from Bootie (Barker, former crew chief) (laughter). So, it’s all seemed to work out well. The Clash went really well. We’re excited about that and still building off that. A lot of things that are still left to be unfolded for Charles and just to figure out his place in this series and where we’re at right now. There’s a lot of moving parts, but everything seems to be flowing well right now.”
What has your experience been like so far with your new crew chief, Charles Denike?
“He’s (Charles Denike) very direct and he’s structed with a military background. I was kind of informed on that. We had a briefing meeting for Daytona and our strategy stuff Monday and 10 minutes before (he called), ‘Hey man, just making sure you have the call in information and the links and all that setup and you’re ready to go.’ And, I’m like, ‘I’m ready. I’m good.’ So, it’s nice to have somebody to keep you in check. Keep you on your toes. I think just from that standpoint, I’m sure that trickles through even at the shop. I don’t see all the behind-the-scenes stuff there but just for how we interact there’s not any games being played and we’re straight to the point.”
How difficult is it to make a crew chief change?
“It’s definitely tough with it being such a big change. I was on the fence with making a change because I was so comfortable with Bootie. It’s hard to step away from something that you’re comfortable with and something that seems to be working fairly well. But I kind of just took a step back and put all the trust and faith in the team to make the necessary calls and the right call. So far so good. The season started today, and so there’s a lot left to unwind and get to work on, but I think Charles fits right in with the brand that we’ve created at 23XI — everybody at AirSpeed – and just the culture and environment that we have there. It’s a so far so good change, but we’ll just have to see. I love Bootie (Barker, former crew chief) to death. I text him I think Sunday going up to the track at Bowman Gray and I said ‘Hey man, I know it’s a change of pace, but I wouldn’t be where I’m at without all the help and all the guidance that you gave and I appreciate you.’ So, it’s cool.”
How important is consistency for you?
“Consistency is key. We seem to start out the year really hot in the Daytona 500. In Atlanta, we run okay and then we kind of decline in the summer stretch – we’re top 5, top 10, top 10. We need to keep the flame lit the entire season. It’s super hard to do. You’re going to have a high flame, you’re going to have a low flame but as long as it’s lit, you’ve got a chance. We’ve got to do a really good job of doing that. This sport is so hard. Being at the Cup level the wins don’t come often, and you have to be ready to pounce when they do. That’s what we’re looking forward to. Not going to leave the reservation on anything that we don’t have to, but just put a little more into it.”
What has Michael Jordan meant to you?
“He’s (Michael Jordan) very much invested into the sport and what we have going on at 23XI and he reassures that through all the people that work on our race cars each and every day. That we’re showing up competing for wins and competing for a championship and we’re just moving forward with that. MJ is competitive, he wants to win, and he knows what it takes to win and it’s all up to us.”
What have you noticed from Riley Herbst that gives you an idea of what he’s like to work with?
“His (Riley Herbst) year last year really kind of opened up a lot of our eyes and it was really cool to see him win in Vegas the way he did, and Indy was really cool and Phoenix. That was big. I think, man, confidence. Confidence is so hard to come by when you’re down in the trenches and I’m not sure if he’s ever down in the trenches because the couple weeks that I’ve been around him now, he’s a very upbeat and positive kid and it’s nice to have that. So, seeing where he’s at. Like, the Clash weekend didn’t go as planned for him, but I talked to him and he’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s okay. I could’ve done this that and this better and things could’ve gone better, but we’ll be fine.” It’s a good mentality to have, but I think last year doing what he’s done brought him a lot of confidence but you have to learn how to manage that in the Cup Series because it’s not like you’re just walking into – you’re walking into a new avenue but it’s such a big step getting here. So, I don’t want him to get discouraged if things don’t go his way. It’s so hard, man. I remember making my first Cup start at Pocono and I thought I was the best at restarts and I got my ass kicked six ways to Sunday and I was like, ‘Okay, I need to go to work.’ And, here we are. It takes a lot of work to be competitive. I think he has that passion and that drive to do it. It’s just putting everything together and making it work.”
What do you feel like you still need to unlock as a driver to elevate your performance?
“It’s just winning and being more competitive. Being a name that is being talked about for the performance and the success. I feel like I have the mentality to do it, and I feel like I have the performance to do it. We just have to put those two things together and make it coincide and exist together and you never know where the results can take you. We’ve just been barely hanging on to the last Playoff spot or missing it by one or two spots and that’s not acceptable. That’s not acceptable for me and that’s the most important person that I’ve got to please is myself and now my kid. But, good this is he doesn’t really know what’s going on right now. But, yeah, just having fun with it. This is my eighth year in Cup and I feel like I belong here and done a lot. I just need to do a lot more.”
What does the Daytona 500 mean to you?
“After coming home second a couple times, seeing the stats for how we perform here at Daytona, it’s an incredible race. Something really cool to be a part of. When Baxter came over and crew chief ’ed for me in 2020, I said, ‘Hey man, take 15 minutes to yourself to be a fan of the spectacle that you’re a part of for the 500. And, I told Charles (Denike, crew chief), I said, ‘Take 10 to 15 minutes when you get a break in your schedule to just walk around and see how many people are here and just the environment that you’re in.’ It’s totally different than a Truck race. And, being here in Daytona, it’s a massive facility and they always do a great job putting on a great show here for the fans. It’s cool. We’ve come close too many times but I’ll take second. That pays better than some other spots.”
What would a win here mean to you?
“Winning early would be awesome. Just getting yourself locked in, you could have a massive weight lifted off your shoulders. Doing it here on the big stage at the 500, there’s no better day for it.”
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